Of Cats, Giraffes, and Mice
by inkheart9459
Summary: Mina's glad to see the Bellas walk in the Riff Off, especially the little mouse. She finds the tiny girl amusing, interesting even, and can't help but want her. Pieter, it seems, is on the same page as her, and for the first time in their open relationship wants another person. Seeing their little mouse alone at the bar proves the perfect opportunity to see exactly where this goes.
1. Chapter 1

For the love of all of our sanity, pretend that Mina and Pieter are speaking to each other in German. I am one woman with one translator and I cannot work miracles. Pretty sure my translator can, but beside the point. To that end there will be dialogue tags when they switch languages just for clarity. Also thanks to everyone who suggested a title for this because I was coming up mostly blank, and special thanks to illtakehimtogoplease on tumblr who's suggestion is now the actual fic title. Also polyamory lays ahead, folks, that ain't your shtick thank you for visiting but this isn't the droid you are looking for. This won't update as fast as Soft Hands, but I'll try to get up an update a week until the whole thing is finished then I can post much faster.

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Mina watched as the small red haired one drug off the little mouse with a smirk on her face.

"I think we should change her name to feisty mouse," she said to Pieter without looking at him.

Pieter remained silent, but she could feel his stare on her. She turned to him, finally managing to look away from the Bellas.

"What?"

"You find her interesting, don't you?" he asked, switching to German.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Of course I find her interesting. Since when have you met a person that only compliments when they mean to insult?" she responded, switching back to her native tongue as well.

"Mina—"

Mina glared at him.

Pieter rolled his eyes and continued. "Kommissar, you and I both know what I mean by interesting."

She looked back at the Bella, now being plied with drinks by her friends to calm her down. The little mouse was probably a light weight. Oh how cute would that be. With her small stature it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Mina finally looked back at Pieter. "Perhaps I do find her interesting. But we both also know that I find a great many people interesting. You are the only one I've found interesting for a long period of time." She reached out and gripped his hand for just a few seconds before dropping it again. "You already knew that, darling. You knew that at the start and you were fine with it. Has that changed?"

His gaze shifted behind her to where the Bellas were. "What if I find the little mouse interesting as well?"

Mina took a step back and looked at Pieter carefully, sharp blue eyes missing nothing. Pieter after a second met her gaze, green eyes clear and honest. He was not lying to her. He liked the little mouse.

"I would ask what you wanted to do about it."

They had had an open relationship since the beginning. Mina liked meaningless little flings and Pieter did not mind so long as they were truly meaningless. Being in DSM and touring had made those conditions easy enough. She was very fond of Pieter, perhaps it was love, maybe it wasn't, but she always wanted more. The flings filled that hole and she still got to come home to a person who loved her for who she was. This was the first time that Pieter himself had actually been interested in anyone else. Mina felt a tinge of jealousy, but more overwhelming was the curiosity.

"I don't know. What would you do?"

She looked back at the little mouse and bit her lip. "I'm not sure either, Pieter."

"The famous Kommissar unsure. Someone must alert the presses."

She stepped forward and slapped him on the arm. He flinched back and faked as if he was dying. Mina just rolled her eyes.

"Ah, there is the drama queen that I know."

He grinned at her just as the gong rang and the strange little man with perhaps an unhealthy obsession with a cappella rolled forward on his scooter and announced the riff off. Mina turned towards Pieter and smirked. He smiled back with childlike glee. Perhaps they didn't know what to do about the mouse, but they did know how to win a riff off and that was almost as good.

Mina leaned into Pieter a bit breathless after jumping around and singing for their victory. She took a big breath and let it out slowly, eyes searching the room rather unconsciously. Pieter's hand came to rest on the small of her back and she leaned into it.

"Eight o'clock," Pieter said, bending down just a bit to murmur in her ear.

She looked in the direction Pieter directed and there was the little mouse sulking with another drink in her hand. She hadn't even known she was looking for the other woman until she'd set eyes on her. She turned back to Pieter.

"Perhaps we can just see where it goes?" she asked him.

"I'll follow where you lead."

Mina's lips quirked up for just a second at that. "You always do. Come, a drink sounds good after that, yes?"

"Yes."

Pieter followed behind her, keeping up enough to still have his hand stay right where it was. Mina didn't mind. His presence had always been steadying. And perhaps she might need it. As much as Pieter's antics had been over the top, it was rare that she didn't know immediately what to do about any issue that came her way.

"Ah, little mouse," Mina said as she slid onto a bar stool right beside the Bella.

"You know I do have a name, right? As much as I like you using a term of endearment for me, I like my name too." She stared down into her drink and scowled.

"I believe we all have names, so I was aware." Mina chuckled and flagged down the bartender.

"It can't be as horrible as Flabby Abby," Pieter chimed in, still behind Mina, chest brushing her back.

"Her name is Fat Amy." The mouse looked up and glared at Pieter. "And why don't you sit down. Waving your muscles in my face isn't nice because I want to lick them. Damn it." She slugged back some of her drink. "Stupid perfect Germans," she muttered under her breath.

"Then tell me, mouse, what is your name if you're so adamant that we use it?" Mina leaned forward and smirked.

"Beca."

"It suits you."

The bartender finally appeared and Pieter ordered drinks for the both of them, leaning up against Mina so that the man could hear him. Mina watched Beca closely, cataloguing the flash of jealousy and then another emotion that followed swiftly after that Mina could not name.

"Thanks, I guess. You probably have some crazy beautiful name that matches your perfect face and body." She closed her eyes and looked pained.

Mina bit her lip considering for a few seconds. "Mina, my name is Mina."

Behind her she felt Pieter still for just a second. She didn't give her name out to just anyone. She rarely gave it out at all. Kommissar was how almost everyone knew her and she was fine with that. She liked being the person in charge both in rank and name.

Pieter stepped back from Mina. "Pieter." He mock bowed with a smile on his face. "And you may lick my muscles anytime you wish."

Beca sucked in a breath and that and Mina almost laughed at the gaping fish like face she made.

"Now, now, Pieter, don't scar the girl. We've only just exchanged names." She smirked at him.

He shot her a look that said he knew it was a bit more than that before turning back to Beca. "What, she did say that she wanted to, I was only being polite."

"I suppose you were."

The bartender set their drinks in front of them. Mina brought the beer up to her mouth and took a long pull. Nothing like German beer, but better than the normal American swill. She had to admit the strange man at least knew how to throw a party.

Pieter took a drink of his and made a disgusted noise. "That is gross," he said in German.

Mina handed him her own drink and took his. She took a drink and had to agree. She set it back on the bar and pushed it away from her.

"You chose very wrong," Mina looked up at Pieter and scrunched her face up.

"I told him two of his best draft beers. Apparently he took that to mean a decent one and a disgusting one."

Beca chimed in. "German beer snobs."

They both turned towards her in unison. "You know German?" They asked at the same time.

"Whoa, that was a little freaky. You're like perfect German robots who are beautiful enough to take over the world and no one would say a thing." She shook herself visibly. "But yeah, I speak German. I double majored." She shrugged.

"Did you now?" Mina asked leaning forward, pushing the disgusting beer away from her some more so she had the room.

"Yeah, my grandparents on my mom's side were from Germany. I picked up some from them, but I wasn't very fluent so I took a bunch of classes and went on exchange for the summer before my junior year and that first semester of that year." She shrugged. "It was worth it to see my grandma's face light up, you know?" A wistful look crossed the mouse's face.

"She's gone now?" Pieter said, picking up on the meaning of her expression instantly.

"Yeah, she passed away this past summer."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Mina reached out and squeezed Beca's hand and a second later Pieter's hand was on top of both of theirs. Mina sighed almost imperceptibly. Something inside her settled at the soft skin under her hand and the rough skin over it.

"I am sorry for your loss as well, little mouse—Beca." Pieter squeezed both of their hands before withdrawing slowly.

"She's in a better place." Beca looked away, but didn't pull her hand away from Mina's grip.

Mina sensed the need to change the subject. "Where did you study when you were abroad?"

"University of Freiburg."

Mina looked back up at Pieter. "You were not far from us then. We attended school in Munich."

"Oh cool, where?"

"Hochschule für Musik und Theater München."

"You're shitting me. No fucking wonder DSM is that damn good." Beca took a long drink and shook herself.

"Feeling inferior, little mouse?" Pieter stepped forward, towering over the girl, but ruined his intimidation tactic by wiggling his eyebrows absurdly.

"No! Ok, yes, maybe but Jesus, how many fucking instruments do you play if you went there."

"Ten," Mina answered.

"Eight," Pieter said. "Violin does not work very well with these hands." He flexed his rather large hands and shrugged.

"You did manage with the piano. I swear with practice you would be fine." Mina reached out and poked him in the side.

"But now we're out of school, what is the purpose."

"The purpose, you idiot, is that you have a competitive streak a mile long."

"So do you." He crossed his arms.

"We aren't talking about me."

"Do you two bicker this cutely normally?" Beca asked interrupting the squabble. "You're like an old married couple. Wait, are you two together? Because I'm getting weird vibes here that both of you are hitting on me but at the same time you're a little too friendly to be friends and I sort of don't want to embarrass myself any more than I already am because I definitely want you to be hitting on me and Jesus I need to shut up now."

Mina looked at Pieter who met her gaze half a second later. Well, it was now or never she supposed.

"We are both," Mina said, grabbing the beer from Pieter's hands and taking another long drink. It was halfway gone already and she had a feeling that this conversation was going to need more alcohol in short order. She looked at Pieter as she handed him back the drink and he understood instantly, flagging down the bartender again.

"Wait, you are both? What does that even mean?" Beca asked switching back to English in her confusion.

"It means, little mouse, we are in an open relationship and both of us find you…interesting," Mina said sticking to German.

Beca looked between the two of them, eyes darting faster than lightening. Mina wondered how in the world that the woman didn't get dizzy looking around like that.

"Wait, so is this like some sort of kinky threesome offer?"

"It doesn't have to be, it could just be us talking to you. We generally like your feisty nature, mouse." Mina shrugged.

Pieter looked over Mina's head. "But if you happen to be into that sort of thing, I do not think either of us would mind." He wiggled his eyebrows again and Mina rolled her eyes at him.

"Pay no mind to that idiot." She sat back, bumping into his rather solid chest.

Pieter's hand came to rest on her shoulder, fingers brushing through the soft hairs on the nape of her neck absently. "What? I believe a fun time would be had by all."

"God, you two must be…I'm just. Holy shit." Beca shook her head hard, hair flying out around her, a bright red blush covering her cheeks.

Mina smirked at her as the bartender showed up again and took away the disgusting beer and leaving two fresh ones of the tolerable brew. She picked up hers and took a sip.

"What, little mouse, are you imagining it?"

"No!" Beca said a little too quickly. "Why would I want to imagine two perfect specimens such as yourself doing ungodly things to me? I have a perfectly nice boyfriend and I…I love him."

Mina's eyes scanned the Bella's face. "You don't sound convinced of that fact, mouse."

"I-I am!" Beca looked away from the two of them.

Pieter leaned down and whispered to Mina in French. "I believe we might have a chance."

She turned to look at him, faces barely an inch apart. "Don't be an idiot, we aren't going to lure her out like that. I'm sure she does not have the arrangement we do and I won't have her feeling guilty over anything we may or may not do," Mina said responding in the same language.

"Jesus, how many languages do you two know?" Beca asked.

"Eight," they both said at the same time.

"It's just a bit of fun," Pieter said, going back to their conversation.

"You are such a man sometimes." She shoved gently at his shoulder. "What if we wanted it to be more? We would be ruining it. And for fuck's sake she's a human and deserves to be treated like one, most importantly."

Pieter sigh. "You have a point."

"Damn right I do." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before turning back to Beca. "Though some of the languages we speak are different."

"I speak German, English, French, Danish, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish," Pieter said.

"And I speak German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Danish, and Polish," Mina said.

"Hot damn. I thought I was doing good with two."

Mina smirked. "Oh you are, for an American."

"Hey!" Beca visibly bristled for a moment before deflating entirely. "Yeah, you're probably right." She took a drink and frowned at the bottom of her glass a second later. Beca's eyes shifted out towards the dancefloor for a second before she raised up her hand to flag the bartender down.

"Don't like to dance, mouse?" Pieter asked. "I think you would be a very good dancer. You are very shapely."

Mina snorted but nodded her agreement. Pieter had two moods, smooth as ice, and obvious as a sledgehammer. He had been very smooth when wooing her, but apparently with the little mouse he was taking a different route. As flustered as Beca got the next second it might not have been a bad idea.

"Yeah, well—you! I. I am not drunk enough for this." Beca put her head in her hands. "And I'm not drunk enough to dance either. That's the only time I do dance outside of practice and competitions."

"Oh, little mouse," Mina purred. "You don't know what you're missing. Dancing while you're fully aware of your senses is freeing, to feel the music going through you, beating in time with your heart, throbbing, it's so very sensual."

Beca groaned and just slumped down further. Mina smirked up at Pieter. "I believe you should flag down the bartender again for our mouse. She's not going to be getting anywhere anytime soon."

Pieter nodded and stood straight again, doing just as asked.

"What were you drinking, mouse?" Pieter asked, looking directly at the bartender again who was looking a little harried at having to deal with Pieter so many times in like than ten minutes.

"Anything with large amounts of alcohol in it. I'm not picking."

"Long Island Iced Tea?" He asked.

"That's good. In fact, that's great."

Mina chuckled. "Don't want to remember tonight, darling?"

"Don't call me liebling, damn it," Beca said, switching to English once more. "It's making me even more confused. And there's still not enough alcohol, remember?"

"What, mouse, have you not thought about girls before?" She looked the girl over from head to toe. "I find that very hard to believe. You and the red head scream past relationship."

"No! I am straight thank you. Just because I dream of kissing girls sometimes and I want to fuck you it doesn't mean anything." This time Beca started to bang her head gently off the bar. "Oh my god why can't I shut up around you."

"Well, I would think that the alcohol does you no favors, but I do like when you babble. It is cute," Pieter said, sliding a drink in front of Beca. "But your Iced Tea is here, little troll."

"I like mouse better," Beca said looking up through her hair for a second before sitting up fully and taking a long pull on her drink.

"Very well, mouse, it suits you." He smiled, pouring every ounce of charm he had into.

"Jesus, do your smiles have to be so fucking bright and perfect?" Beca shook herself.

"Thank you, nice to know all those years of braces were worth something," Pieter said, taking a sip of his beer.

"You, you had to have braces?" Beca looked at him disbelievingly.

"Of course, what child didn't?" He shrugged. "Mina did as well. Our middle school pictures aren't the best, but whose are."

Mina glared up at him. She did not want to be reminded about that time period in her life. Frizzy hair and caked on makeup and an ungodly amount of hormones and enough social awkwardness to fill a boat. She shivered.

"I think you're a dead man later, dude," Beca said, laughing. "Never mention the awkward middle school years, especially of a girl."

Pieter looked down at Mina and he paled just a bit. His expression morphed into a sheepish one and Mina rolled her eyes at him.

"Big idiot. Why do I claim you as mine, again?"

"Because you enjoy the booty."

Mina looked to the ceiling as if it would help her. "My god."

But then Beca was laughing again and perhaps all wasn't lost. Mina returned her eyes to an appropriate level and took another drink of her beer. Beca was already halfway through the iced tea. Mina was surprised. She would have thought as small as Beca was she would have been showing that much alcohol already, but then again she was a college senior. That was a lot of time to build up a tolerance.

"I'm glad you find him amusing, mouse, because sometimes I wonder." Mina reached up and squeezed Pieter's hand, letting him know she was only teasing. He just intertwined their fingers and said nothing else.

"I think you both together is what's really the funny thing. You act like sixteen year olds."

"I blame him."

"She's right, mostly it is me. She's the scary one remember?" Pieter smirked.

Mina snorted but didn't deny it. She liked being the scary one. It made leading as a woman that much easier.

"Oh, I remember, but people who look like they can kill me are sort of my type. God damn it." She took another drink. "How in the world did you two even happen? I mean you're obviously gorgeous, but other than that you sort of seem polar opposites."

Mina looked back at Pieter and he nodded at her to take this. She shrugged and turned back to Beca.

"We've known each other for a short eternity. That would be why he knows what my middle school pictures look like. The two of us were the children who were very into music and so we bonded over that and things went from there. We were friends up until the end of high school but then we lost track of each other after we went off to college. We joined DSM not long after graduating. In four years this one became the hunk of meat you see before you, before that he was rather long and lanky." She patted his solid chest and smirked. "We recognized each other, of course, even with the added muscle, and became friends again in short order. After that, I believe he made it his mission to woo me. He can be smooth if he wants, but he usually doesn't want to. It took about a year, but here we are." Mina shrugged.

Beca hesitated for a second. "And that whole open relationship thing?"

"Mina was…free spirited even in high school. I knew about the flings and I didn't care about them. They mean nothing."

Mina nodded that confirmation.

Beca scowled. "So I mean nothing?"

Mina looked back at Pieter again for confirmation. "No, you are the first person that Pieter has ever showed interest in. That does not mean nothing." She looked towards the dance floor. "And I admit, even to me, you do not feel like the regular fling."

Beca looked even more confused at that. "I don't even know what to do with that." She shook herself. "Right, doesn't matter, boyfriend. Boyfriend. I love him."

Mina tilted her head to the side. "It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself of that."

"I am not!" Beca took another drink, draining her glass and pushing it aside. "It's just been rough lately. It's nothing. Normal couples go through rough patches."

Mina reached out again and took Beca's hands. "If we are making you uncomfortable all you have to do is ask us to stop. I enjoy talking to you, and as we said before this doesn't have to be anything other than banter, but if you want us to go we will."

Beca shook her head. "No, it's fine. Really, it's nothing. Jesse and I are both secure enough in our relationship that I can talk to other people. It would be stupid if I couldn't. Even if you both are super fucking hot." Beca threw up her hands but said nothing else, resigned to the flirting now. "But thanks for the offer. It's nice of you. Not something I'd expect from someone who goes by the name Kommissar."

Mina smirked. "I'm full of surprises. So is this one, believe it or not." She let go of Pieter's hand to poke him in the chest. "I'm sure you are as well."

Beca snorted. "Yeah, just ask my friends. Not exactly an open book. They're still prying things out of me after four years."

"It's not bad to be a closed off person, so long as you can open up to a chosen few," Pieter said, just loud enough to be heard over the music.

Beca looked up to him for a long moment before she looked away again. "Yeah, but most people don't really get that."

He nodded. "This is true, but most people don't get a great many things. Which makes making jokes very hard sometimes."

"You see, he almost pulled off being smooth, and then he just ruins it."

"Beca!" someone shouted in the crowd.

Mina looked around and spotted one of the other Bellas, the red headed one who seems to hover around the mouse quite a bit. She walked up to Beca's side and latched onto her arm.

"Come on, it's time to dance. I know you've had at least two drinks."

"Chloe, do I have to? I'm still not drunk enough yet?"

Chloe blinked at her a second. "You're doing that thing again where you're talking in German and don't realize it."

"Oh, sorry," Beca said switching to English. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, now come on." Chloe pulled her off the bar stool.

Beca looked at Mina and Pieter helplessly.

"Go on, little mouse, we can always find you later. Pieter makes a very good look out."

"Yes." Pieter wiggled his eyebrows.

"Ok, see you later," Beca called back to them, already being drug into the crowd.

Pieter walked over and sat down on the barstool that Beca had just vacated. "Well, that was rather…interesting."

Mina huffed at the double meaning of that word and took another drink of her beer. Now it was she who was not drunk enough for this. "Yes, I suppose it was."

"She doesn't feel like a normal fling to you?" he asked, looking at her. He face held no judgement, only curiosity. Sometimes Mina thought perhaps he was a little too understanding about everything, but then again that was probably just more of an insecurity implanted by monogamous society more than anything. Pieter was a good man, she knew that.

"No, she doesn't." She bit her lip. "Did you want her to be a fling? You're the one who's never really done anything like this before."

"I do not know. It is too early to tell yet. But you are right in the fact that my being attracted to her at all and wanting to act on it means something. I'm not sure just what yet, but it does mean something." He shrugged. "I make a great lot of snap decisions—"

"But never about anything important, I know." Mina inhaled deeply.

They sat in silence for a few minutes sipping at their drinks before one of Pieter's favorite hip hop songs came on. He perked up immediately and stood.

"Come on! Let's dance."

Mina rolled her eyes but followed him out into the crowd nonetheless. He would make a complete fool of himself dancing while Mina stood off to the side laughing at his antics, dancing on her own. It was how things always were and it was comfortable, and maybe at that moment that's exactly what they needed.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow this got a bigger response than I thought it would. Thanks guys and here's the next chapter.

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Five beers, an innumerable amount of songs, and most of the night later, Mina found herself slow dancing with Pieter as the party started to break up around them. She didn't usually indulge in such over the top displays of affection with Pieter in front of her team. The hand holding and close contact could be written off because of how long they'd known each other, but something like slow dancing had many more connotations.

"Magnus was the designated driver tonight, yes?" Mina asked, feeling warm and just the slightest bit tipsy.

"Yes, he was. He'll round everyone else up and get them home. We don't have to worry."

"Good."

"Do you want to leave now?" Pieter's hands gripped a bit tighter on her waist.

"I think so." She looked up at Pieter with a smirk. Perhaps the little mouse was out of her reach, but her rock was always there, supporting her. And right now she wanted him.

"Then let us call a cab." Excitement sparked in his eyes at Mina's look. He was well aware of what that look meant. He was the one getting lucky tonight.

Mina stepped back and tugged him towards the stairs of the rather…interesting mansion. She found Magnus, sitting at the bar sipping soda and she nodded to him. He would be in charge for now and she knew that he wouldn't disappoint her.

She led them up through the maze of the house and out into the driveway. Pieter pulled out his cell phone and googled a taxi company hurriedly. Mina patted him on the arm and walked off towards a rather pretty fountain in the middle of the roundabout the was beside the front door. Geese seemed to be the main theme. Mina shook her head. Such an odd little man.

Mina perked up, hearing something over the sound of water that wasn't Pieter's voice telling a cabby where they were. She squinted, tilting her head from side to side, trying to figure out just where it was coming from. To the right, she determined. There was a stand of trees there and the moon wasn't penetrating the shadow there. She looked back at Pieter. One word and he would be by her side. She would be fine.

She walked towards the trees, the sounds resolving into voices that finally became distinguishable words.

"Jesse, it was nothing. You don't see me getting upset about you dancing with that girl. You know I'm faithful to you. What's with the super unchill behavior right now? Jesus."

It was the little mouse, talking with her boyfriend, and from the sounds of it, not everyone was happy. Mina froze. She knew that she shouldn't eaves drop on a private conversation, but something told her to stay put.

"Well she's not a fucking German model, that's why. I don't even know which one you're more interested in, the guy or the girl."

"Jesus, neither. I already said that." Beca sounded completely exasperated.

"Uh huh, then why were you talking to them in German? Is it because you didn't want me to know what you guys were saying?"

"Uh, no, I was talking to them in German, because you know, they're German? Jesse, let's just go home. You've obviously had too much to drink to have a conversation like this."

Mina heard movement and tensed up, ready to move.

"Jesse, let go of me, it isn't funny."

"Why?"

"Because right now I'm not in the mood, ok?"

Jesse mumbled something under his breath that Mina couldn't catch.

"Thank you," Beca said a second later. "But no, it's not because I'd rather have 'one of those German bitches' touching me instead. Seriously. We're going to go find Benji and he's going to take you home and tomorrow when you've pulled your head out of your ass you can call me."

More footsteps started to come Mina's way. Mina backed farther into the shadows before a large thump had her running forward.

"Little mouse?" Mina called before she thought about it. "Are you alright?"

A second later the gloom cleared enough that she saw Jesse on the ground and Beca standing above him, fed up and trying to help him right himself.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't think he is." She gestured at Jesse. "Help me out?"

"Pieter," Mina called out, and in a second he was by her side. She gestured to Jesse. "Help me with this one, yes?"

Pieter knelt down by the drunk boy and picked him up by the shoulder and arm. Mina slid under the other side and together they lifted him to his feet.

"Get your hands off of me, stupid girlfriend stealers."

"We are not stealing your girlfriend," Pieter said, clipped tones making his accent thicker. "We are helping you to the driveway so we can stuff you into a cab so you can go home and sleep off this nonsense."

"Uh huh, sure. I saw you talking to her earlier. You were totally flirting with her. I could tell. I know body language!" He shouted in their ears.

Mina pulled to a stop right before the start of the asphalt that made up the driveway. "And you are right. We were flirting with her, but she is loyal to you and made that know very early on in the conversation. She has faith in your relationship, but I'm not sure you do. Maybe you should think about that long and hard before you ever yell at your girlfriend drunkenly again, ja?"

"What would you know about how to treat a girl?" Jesse pouted.

"Quite a bit more than you, I would say." Mina started forward again. She looked at Beca who was trailing a bit behind him. "You said something about getting Benji? Why don't you do that? There will be a cab here soon and we can send the two of them off and get them out of your hair."

Beca nodded and walked back towards the house while Mina and Pieter finally got the drunk boy to sit down on the edge of the fountain. Mina looked up at Pieter and frowned apologetically.

"I'm sorry," she said slipping back into German. Finding Beca with her intoxicated boyfriend had effectively killed any buzz she'd had going on, and had killed the mood too.

Pieter waved it off. "It's ok. I'm glad that we were here to help the little mouse."

Mina nodded. "Me too." She glared down at the boy, and that's what he was, a boy, sitting with his elbows on his knees, looking greener by the second.

"Yeah, you think I can't understand you, but Beca taught me some German too! And you're talking about me," Jesse slurred.

Mina snorted. "Oh really, was that hard for you to figure out, dummkopf?" She took a deep breath. Being mean to the boy wouldn't get her anywhere, no matter how cross she was with him. He was the boy that Beca was in love with and she should treat him as such no matter how much she wanted to shove him back into the fountain and watch him scrabble around.

"But yes, we were talking about you, if only in the barest way. Mostly we just said that we were glad we were here to help Beca carry you. She is small and wouldn't have managed it on her own easily."

"Yeah, right." Jesse glared up at her.

Pieter made a disgusted noise. "Clearly the alcohol makes this one mean," he said in German.

Mina frowned. If he wasn't going to believe the truth then she might as well make his fantasy a reality, she had nothing else to lose.

"I'm not sure it's the alcohol." The longer this went on the more unhappy she was getting. Beca liked this boy, yes, but he had fewer redeeming qualities by the minute, and she did not have to like him as well. She just had to be civil, though that was getting harder to pull off.

There were footsteps coming their way and Mina looked up to see Beca and another boy from the Treblemakers trailing behind her with another one of the Bellas. Beca walked up to Mina and grimaced.

"These two will make sure he gets home alright. Thanks for the help, though."

"Any time, little mouse," Mina said and Pieter nodded his agreement, jaw locked tight, and the rest of his body tense.

"You can go back to the party if you want," Beca said looking away and shuffling her feet. "I didn't mean to ruin your night."

"You didn't ruin our night," Pieter said, looking at Jesse significantly. "Talking to you was a nice time, other things were…not so pleasant."

"We were leaving anyway. The cab we're about to stuff this one and company in is the one we called for ourselves."

"Oh, you don't have to do that!" Beca's gaze snapped back to the two of them.

Mina waved it off. "It is fine, Beca. Another cab can be called for us. It's only a few minutes delay. We do not have anywhere to be immediately."

Jesse started to cough and everyone took three huge steps back, waiting for him to throw up. Mina's face scrunched in distaste. Such childishness, getting this drunk.

The cab pulled up another few minutes later after Jesse had finally stopped throwing up. Still, Mina shoved a plastic bag in his hands. There was no need for this fool's friends to pay the cleanup fee if he still had more left in his system. Mina looked at the Bella and the boy named Benji. She nodded her thanks before they got in and stepped back. The cab pulled off, leaving Beca, Pieter, and her alone outside the odd man's house.

Beca kicked at some rocks for a few minutes before speaking again. "I really am sorry about that. He gets mean if he has too much to drink, but he really doesn't mean it. He'll call tomorrow and apologize up and down about everything." She shrugged. "It's the first time in a while that he's actually gotten that drunk. I don't know what got into him."

Jealousy, Mina thought, but she wasn't about to make that fire any worse than it already was.

"It is ok, little mouse, I assure you." Mina stepped forward and squeezed Beca's shoulder to show she was sincere before she stepped back again. She turned to Pieter. "Call another cab if you would, liebling?"

He nodded and stepped away once more.

"Are you sure you're not just saying that to make me feel better?" Beca wrapped her arms around herself, standing tall, chin up, defiant, even as she rocked herself slightly side to side.

"I am very sure, mouse. I'm a forthright person by nature. You would know if I was not happy with you."

Beca took a deep breath. "Ok." She looked back at the house. "I should probably go back and find the Bellas." She didn't move though.

"The party was breaking up when we were leaving." Mina gestured off in the direction of Pieter. "They will come out here soon enough."

Beca bit her lip. "Yeah, I guess." She yawned. "I just, I'm tired and would like this night to be over, you know."

Mina smiled, the expression small and almost lost in the shadow of the night, and stepped forward. She put her arm around Beca's shoulders and squeezed the small woman to her side gently, allowing the girl every opportunity to pull away. Beca stiffened under her touch for just a second before relaxing and leaning into the touch.

"I do know. Some nights just go on forever. Unfortunate events always seem to be this way."

"Yeah, they really are."

Pieter walked back up to the two of them. "Another cab should be here in fifteen," he said in German.

"Good," Mina responded in kind, switching languages.

"I told them there were three passengers." He looked at Beca. "I figured that we should escort the little mouse home after that debacle."

Beca shook her head. "You don't have to. I've already interrupted your night."

Mina squeezed her gently, sending a look down at the other woman that clearly said they'd already covered this.

"But we want to," Pieter said for the both of them.

"But the Bellas…" Beca trailed off.

"You have a phone and you can let them know where you are, can't you?" Mina said.

"Yeah." Beca thought it over for a few seconds before nodding. "Ok, I don't really feel like dealing with a lot of people right now anyway, and really who knows when they'll want to go home." She shrugged, but didn't dislodge Mina's grip on her.

"See, best of both worlds." Pieter grinned and gestured at himself and Mina. "Of course there are two other worlds you could have, but alas." He placed his hand over his forehead and fake swooned. "I don't know whatever Mina and I shall do."

Beca snorted. "Right, I'm sure you guys will make it."

"Do not pay attention to that drama queen," Mina said.

"I am not a drama queen, I am a king, thank you." Pieter stuck out his tongue.

"The principle is the same." Mina shook her head.

Pieter shrugged. "Fair enough."

Beside her Beca shivered. Mina looked down. "Are you cold, mouse?"

"A little bit, it's fine." She shrugged again and leaned in a little more. "Besides, you're like a space heater."

"All those long German winters," Pieter said, sidling up to them and sandwiching Beca between them. "And now you have two heaters. Better than one I hear."

Beca didn't react more than to wrap her arm around Pieter and draw him in a bit closer. He in turn wrapped his long arm around Beca's shoulders, right on top of Mina's. Mina closed her eyes and listened to the wind whip through the trees around them, that feeling of completeness and peace coursing through her once more. She liked this, far more than she knew she should, but she could not help it. It felt as if…the mouse was that missing piece she had been looking for, for a long while. Which was ridiculous, she barely knew the girl, but…

"Warmer now?" Mina asked after a minute.

"Definitely. You're wearing fucking mesh and leather and yet you're still warmer than me. Like I know it's Georgia, but it's still October and actually kind of cool."

"This, cool? No, it's still very nice out," Pieter said. "Beginning of summer temperatures really."

Beca tilted her head to the side. "Fair enough, really, but outside of that semester abroad I've been living in Georgia for four years. If it's not like 32 degrees with one hundred percent humidity it's not summer."

"Ugh, that is like an oven, how do you not melt when it's that hot?" Pieter's face scrunched up.

"Air conditioning and not going outside."

Mina snorted. "That explains so much about you, mouse."

"What, you wanna go out when it's ninety degrees Fahrenheit with that much humidity? Like that's a slow death man, you don't know."

"No I suppose I don't, but avoiding ever going outside just because it is a bit warm seems to be a bit extreme, yes?"

"Tell that to me if you're here during the summer, then we can talk."

"But we will be in Copenhagen come summer for worlds, not finishing up your victory tour, remember?"

Beca huffed. "Yeah, I remember both things rather well." She looked at the both of them, almost pouting but managing to make it look like a more hardcore look. "Do us a favor, darling, don't try to beat us. We are the best," Beca mocked.

Mina laughed, genuine and loud. Pieter looked over at her, face soft. It wasn't often she truly laughed like this. She smiled over at him as the laughter finally died down.

"You did not sound like me at all, mouse. I give you a C for the effort, though," Mina finally said.

"It wasn't the point to sound like you, you goddess. I was making fun of your incredibly sexy voice." Beca's head slumped back. "Except I can never insult you without complimenting you. Figures."

"I find it rather endearing, actually. You should continue to do so."

"I could spice it up and compliment Pieter instead."

"Oh, but you already have, earlier while we were at the bar," Pieter wiggled his eyebrows again. "Remember, you wanted to lick my muscles?"

"Ugh, of course you would remember that. Why would you forget that."

Mina leaned down. "I'm sure we remember every compliment you've given us mouse. They are both funny and charming and most people remember compliments for a very, very long time."

"So moral of the story is, I'm doomed right? You both are totally going to whip out the compliments I've given you at worlds and go to town."

"No, I prefer to keep such things to myself," Pieter said. "After all compliments mean much more if you don't poke fun at them, yes?"

Beca looked up at him, head tilting quite a ways back. "I guess," she said slowly, almost as if she was trying to figure out if he was being sincere.

"You guess, but I know. Your compliments are amusing, but I would never use them against you like that. Besides, there are many other ways to trash talk you before worlds and I haven't even worked through a fourth of my ammo." Pieter grinned. "I am the trash talk king."

Beca turned to Mina. "And does that make you the Queen?"

Mina laughed. "Oh, darling, I am the Queen of a great many things."

The little mouse shivered between them, but Mina suspected not from the cold. "It's not fair that you can laugh like that. It isn't supposed to be that arousing." She rolled her eyes before scrunching them closed. "I should give up trying not to say anything embarrassing. It happens anyway."

"I find that the harder you fight against something, the more inevitable it becomes."

Beca's eyes opened and looked up at Mina. "Gee, thanks for that pep talk."

"You're welcome." Mina smirked.

"Where are you guys staying at?" Beca asked, trying to change the subject. "Sometimes the cabbies around here like to take people for a ride if they aren't around here."

"The Hilton on 4th avenue," Mina said.

"Ok, cool, Barden is on the way there then. It will only be like another ten minutes after that and you guys should be back to your place once you drop me off. Anything more and they're trying to jack the fare up."

Mina's nose scrunched. "What a lovely practice."

"Yeah well." Beca shrugged. "Gotta make a living somehow I guess."

"Will they really try that with me in the back seat?" Pieter flexed his arms cheesily.

"Uh dude, they don't care if you've got muscles. Though screaming at them angrily in German might cause them to go a bit pale. Hell, I can get people to back off by screaming in German. It's a handy trick."

Pieter snorted. "The small mouse uses German as a defense weapon, how cute."

"You work with what you have when you aren't a German giant." Beca leaned over and jostled Pieter just slightly with a small smile on her face.

"I suppose." Pieter shook his head with a smile. He looked over at Mina. "Americans."

"Yes, Americans."

"Hey! I resent that. We're not all idiots…just a good bit of us. And not me. Hopefully. Some days I don't know." Beca shrugged again.

"No, you aren't an idiot, little mouse, but that doesn't mean your views aren't slightly skewed from growing up here without you knowing it. Americans are very America-centric, after all. They hardly know when something is going on in other countries," Mina said.

"Fair enough. Considering I only really know what's going on in the US and Germany I can't really refute that."

"Why do you know what's going on in Germany?" Pieter asked.

"Easiest way to keep up with German is to read newspapers. And watch German TV and movies, but the newspaper thing is something I do every day."

"Ah, yes, mostly I just buy books in the languages that I know." He shrugged. "News does not interest me, but this one keeps me up to day with what I need to know." Pieter jostled Mina's arm.

"It is for your own good, idiot. You need to know what's going on in the world, not just in books." Mina rolled her eyes.

"Maybe if you read more fiction books you would see what I like about them. Non-fiction is just so boring." Pieter's face scrunched.

"How can information be boring?" Mina pulled back slightly to look at him, eyes narrowed.

"Because Google can give me all I really need to know in twenty seconds max, but no one can flip a switch and search for what life would be like in a fantasy land."

Beca between them laughed. "Oh my god, you guys fight like an old married couple. That's so cute."

Both Mina and Pieter looked down at Beca like she had grown a second head.

"What? It's totally true. Don't look at me like that." Beca stuck her chin out.

"I suppose you might be right," Mina said slowly. "No one has pointed it out before, though."

"Or when they have they say we fight like brother and sister," Pieter added, and both he and Mina shivered. "We are certainly not brother and sister."

Beca laughed again. "God, I'd hope not considering."

"Yes," Mina said, face scrunching.

The cab pulled up and Mina breathed a sigh of relief at the obvious break in the conversation. She did not want to think any more about her being related to Pieter. That was just…disturbing.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you guys for your continued support. I really appreciate it. And with that, here's the next chapter.

* * *

They all stuffed themselves into the cab, with Beca once again in the middle. "I don't see why I'm always in the middle," she grumbled.

"It's because you're small, little mouse," Mina said before turning to the cabby. "To Barden University and then on to the Hilton on 4th Avenue."

He grunted and shifted the car into gear and then they were off.

"Yeah, well, just because I'm small doesn't mean I don't like leg room."

Pieter turned to her and raised both of his eyebrows. "Little mouse, if I sat there my legs would be by my ears."

"Right, fine, whatever, huge German gods, I get it. You're hot, you're tall, you make me question my resolve to never have a threesome." Beca put her head in her hands. "Right, shutting up now. Can we blame that on the alcohol, or just pretend it never happened?"

Mina laughed. "Oh no, mouse, I think I'll remember that for a few long time."

She flinched as something vibrated by her hip. She didn't have her cellphone on her. Pieter had it in his pockets. Leather pants understandably had none.

"Is that your phone vibrating?" She asked Beca.

"Uh, probably." She wiggled around and pulled the phone out of her pocket and looked at it. "It's just Chloe saying ok to the text I sent her about leaving." She started to put it back into her pocket but Mina on impulse grabbed it. Beca scowled at her but made no moved to take it back.

Mina smiled and opened up the phone, going to contacts and adding her number and Pieter's, and texting Beca's number to both of their phones. She handed the device back to Beca.

"There, now you have both of our numbers in case you want to compliment us some more while we resume our tour."

"Maybe you can be less blabby in text form, yes?" Pieter asked.

"Hey!" Beca said but then quickly lost her steam. "Yeah, fine, probably." She slipped her phone back into her pocket. "It's not my fault something about you just makes my brain to mouth filter go offline."

"I would say that something is how good our booties look in these pants," Pieter said with a smile.

"No, I think it's more how our muscles look in mesh. Remember the licking?" Mina chuckled.

"Teasing isn't fun guys. What are we like five?" Beca folded her arms across her chest and pouted like an actual five year old.

Mina wrapped her arm around Beca's shoulders again. "It is all in good fun, mouse. I'm sure once you restore that brain to mouth filter you will give as good as you get, yes?"

"Oh you better believe it, blondie."

"There you go, that's better than the last few at least." Mina squeezed Beca to her before releasing her once more.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Feisty mouse is back once again," Pieter said.

"Feisty mouse never left," Beca bit back, glaring at Pieter.

"Could have fooled me," he taunted.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Mina shook her head and decided to stop this before it got out of hand. "Children, children, think of where we are."

Pieter shrugged and sat back, still smiling while Beca still glared. Oh that one was a fire cracker indeed. She would make life much more interesting for her and Pieter…if only the little mouse could actually be theirs. Mina sighed silently and leaned back.

The scenery around the car was shifting from bigger, wealthy homes to more middle class and she knew that Barden much be close. She didn't want the ride to end just yet, but all good things she knew had to end at some point. At least the little mouse had their numbers. They could still communicate.

They pulled up to campus a few minutes later. The driver looked back at them in the mirror expectantly and Beca was digging around in her pockets.

"I got this."

"Nonsense, little mouse, we will handle the fare when we get to our hotel." Mina popped the door and climbed out lithely.

"No, I mean, I would be paying this much anyway if I got a cab home." Beca didn't move from the middle seat.

"It is fine, liebling," Mina said, switching to English. "A few extra dollars will not break our bank, or did you forget that we're part of an internationally known a Capella group with a great deal of endorsements."

"Fine, but the next time we see each other I'm buying at least one round of drinks to pay you guys back." Beca finally slide out of the cab and stood.

"Will you be ok walking back the rest of the way?" Pieter said, peeking out from where he still sat in the backseat.

"Yeah, I've made this walk a thousand different times in worse states than this. I have your numbers. I'll text you when I get back to Bellas house, ok?"

Mina nodded. "That will do." She reached out and cupped Beca's face. "See you at worlds, mouse." And then she slipped back in the cab, leaving a stunned Beca Mitchell on the curb as the cab pulled off again.

She looked over at Pieter. "Did you…" she trailed off unable to complete the question just yet.

"Feel the connection between the three of us when we were all touching? Yes, I did."

Mina breathed out, not realizing she'd been at least partially holding her breath. She looked out the window. "Not that it matters since she has her boyfriend, but." Mina shrugged.

Pieter pulled Mina over to rest against him. Mina curled into him and sighed. "I'm not sure that relationship is long for this world."

Mina pulled back just enough to look at him. "How would you know, block head? You aren't exactly a relationship guru."

Pieter rolled his eyes. "No, but the mouse isn't one to take such words of distrust lightly. And if the boy believes it, truly, then I don't believe he will want to stay long either, be it for a real reason or another imaginary slight. Trust is a hard thing to regain once it's lost, you know that."

Mina nodded. "You make good points, but still. People will stay in relationships far longer than they should, just clinging on to something they know."

"Because they have no other option, no one to catch them. We have made our interest know. She knows she has options."

Mina put her head back on Pieter's chest. "Why are you always the optimist?"

"Because someone has to be." He poked her in the side, causing her to jump. "Because some of us are unabashed realists."

"Being a realist is not a bad thing. It prepares us for all those little bumps in the road that optimistic you don't see."

"True, I didn't say there wasn't a use for it, but there is a reason why no one goes to you for pep talks."

"It is because I am in charge and intimidating."

Pieter laughed, jostling Mina. "Oh, yes, that's it, liebling, you keep thinking that." He stopped for a second. "Well, ok, so it is partly true, but that's not the main reason."

Mina rolled her eyes. "Believe what you want, you giraffe."

"Yes, cat, I will."

Mina chuckled. "A cat and a mouse make sense together, but then we add you and a giraffe…" She snorted. "That makes an odd mix."

"Yes, well, sometimes the best things are the oddest." Pieter lifted Mina's chin and connected their lips.

Mina sighed, sinking into the familiarity of the kiss. He was always so warm, considerate, molded to her in just the right way. It reminded her of why she loved him, really. And yet it also reminded her why she sought out others to fill the gap. There was just something missing. Small, though it was, it mattered. But she chose not to focus on that for the moment. She opened her mouth and Pieter's tongue slipped inside her mouth, tasting of beer and dark spice. Her hand fisted in his shirt and she pushed further into him.

But awareness that they were still in the back of a cab came back to her slowly and she ended the kiss by degrees. Pieter's pupils were blown wide and he was smiling like an idiot. Mina rolled her eyes and laid her head back on his chest.

"You are still a teenage boy at heart," she mumbled into dark fabric.

"Who wouldn't be when kissing you?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"I recall that it did get me here."

Mina huffed. "Fine, it will get you some places."

The cab pulled up at their hotel a minute later. Pieter got out his wallet and handed the cabby enough for the fare and nice tip and then they were both out into the waning night. Mina frowned. Dawn wasn't far off now. They had to be up in the morning to check out and get on the bus to be driven to their next stop on tour. Mina drug a hand over her face. That would be a nightmare, to make sure all of her hung over teammates were up in time and on the bus.

"Stop worrying for now. Worry in the morning. For now let's go get some sleep," Pieter said by her ear.

Mina nodded. "Fine. Check our phones. Has the little mouse texted that she got back to the Bella's house?"

Pieter dug in his pockets and pulled out her iPhone, complete with cat themed case, and handed it to her. The case had been a present from Pieter himself last Christmas. She'd gotten him back on his birthday a month later. He pulled out his phone, with tiny little giraffes all over it. Mina wondered if Beca would go along with their little game. She could see the girl's face at receiving a mouse themed case. It would be an adorable scowl.

She shook herself. But she wasn't Mina's, and there wouldn't be any such gifts. She was not part of their group. She was the stupid drunk boy's. Mina shut her eyes and willed herself to be calm. If that's what made the little mouse happy then she should be happy for her, even if it hurt.

Except Mina had never been the most selfless of people. The second that fuck boy slipped up she would be there with Pieter right by her side. She knew that.

And that thought, made her feel better.

Pieter lead them inside and Mina opened her messages in the elevator. The tiny mouse had texted her. She smiled as she read the message.

"Got home just fine, no one like kidnapped me or anything. Barden isn't exactly known for that. But you know, never know, right?"

"I'm glad you are home, mouse. Pieter and I are just getting to our hotel room now."

"Awesome. Glad the cabby didn't like drive off a cliff or anything."

"A cliff, in Atlanta?"

"Hey! It could happen. You never know."

Mina shook her head. "I'll be on the lookout then."

Pieter was also smiling down at his phone and Mina figured he had to be texting Beca as well.

"Is she texting you about cliffs too?" Mina asked, opening their door and stepping inside the dark room, flipping on the lights, and stepping out of her heels with a sigh of relief.

Pieter came up behind her, now much taller than her without the heels where they had only been an inch or two apart before. "No, something about mutant turtles who are teenagers." He shrugged.

"American cartoon."

"Ah, well she's glad they didn't drag us to the sewers." Pieter laughed.

"Ridiculous mouse."

"Yes, but a different type of ridiculous from mine."

Mina started to unbutton her top, grabbing her pjs from the bed. "Complimentary. Yours is bright and happy, hers is much more sarcastic. I enjoy the interplay."

"I do too." Pieter was already out of his shirt and pants. "You want to shower first tomorrow, or do you want to sleep more since it is a travel day."

Mina glanced at the clock. "God, sleep more. It is going to be painful to get up tomorrow."

"And to think, everyone always assumes you're a morning person." He flopped on the bed, situating himself under the covers and waiting for Mina to climb in beside him.

"That is the way I like it. Morning people make everyone else uncomfortable." She finished putting everything away and then slipped on her tank top and shorts.

"I make no one uncomfortable." Pieter put his hands behind his head.

"That's because you are too cheerful and do not take full advantage of your morning person status." Mina smiled at him before climbing into bed and sighing. God, it was going to be so hard to get up in the morning.

She groaned as her phone vibrated on the nightstand. She rolled over and grabbed it. The little mouse had texted once more.

"Good, I wouldn't want to see you hurt or anything. It would be shame for someone so gorgeous to stop existing."

"Thank you, mouse. It seems you are also complimentary even in text form."

"Yeah, well, at least I thought about that one before sending it."

Mina snorted. "Yes, mouse, but now it is the middle of the night and there's probably still alcohol in your system. How much did you really think about it?"

"More than I have any of the other sober ones when I'm in your physical presence."

Mina snorted at that. Pieter leaned over to see what had her laughing, reading over her shoulder. He chuckled too and showed his phone to Mina. A conversation along the same lines was happening between the two of them as well.

"I see you got called handsome instead of gorgeous." Mina laughed.

"Of course, I am the handsome one of the group." He over exaggeratedly preened.

"Uh huh."

She looked down at her phone and typed out a text. "I see, well, it is four in the morning mouse. Perhaps I will believe you more after we have slept."

"Fine, fine. Goodnight, you German Goddess."

"Goodnight. Don't call Pieter a God. It will go to his head."

And with that Mina put her phone to the side a few seconds before Mina did. He had a huge smile plastered on his face.

"She called you a God didn't she?" Mina asked, settling into her favorite sleeping position, Pieter's arms wrapped around her, drawing her back against him.

"She did."

Mina groaned. "Oh great, now you will be strutting around like a rooster tomorrow."

"You love it."

"No, but I do love you. So I suppose that is enough to put up with it."

She felt Pieter smirk against her neck, but he said nothing else.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, cat."

Mina sighed again and closed her eyes. She was asleep in a second.


	4. Chapter 4

So if y'all don't have a tumblr, or just haven't seen it floating around, I've started planning a Becommissar Week over there. Right now we're picking out a week for everything to go down, so if you want to participate just go to becommissarweek dot tumblr dot com, except you know with actual .'s and answer the survey posted there and monitor for updates. It should be a good time had by all, at least that's the plan. With that, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

She was on a bus to Texas when her phone vibrated for almost a minute straight. Someone was sending her texts and a lot of them at that. Mina tilted her head to the side. Pieter was asleep against the window. The rest of DSM was on the bus, most of them asleep, exhausted from the week long marathon of concerts. How the Bellas managed this and school Mina would never figure out, though perhaps more venues had been added after they were given the tour since they had a freer availability, she didn't know.

Beca had to be the answer to who was messaging her. She had texted both Mina and Pieter on and off for the last month. Conversations running from mundane everyday things to subjects that were completely ridiculous. But she felt as if she knew the mouse better now, and perhaps that was good thing, and perhaps it was bad. She wanted her even more now, and for every text she received it both soothed the fire within her and stoked it.

She pulled out her phone when it finally quit vibrating and sorted through the messages, trying to figure out the order. They had jumbled up in transit. Mina missed the old system where they were numbered, but of course that had gone by the wayside in her last phone upgrade. She finally found what seemed to be the first message and started to read.

"Are you anywhere you can talk right now? I just—I really need to talk and I don't want to talk to the Bellas right now because they'll be all sympathetic and telling me I deserved better, but that's not what I want right now. I really just want a distraction and you're always a really great distraction because you're beautiful and sort of make me forget how to think, which would be great right about now. Because if I think I'm going to feel like a complete and total piece of shit and over think literally everything and that's not what I want to do right now. I really want to stick to my decision because Jesse was really nice and all but he was really getting to me with all those stupid remarks about me looking at other people, even after he apologized about the night of the riff off. I don't think he meant any harm by it, it was almost a joke to him, but when I told him it wasn't cool he just laughed it off and I just was so totally done with it so I broke up with him earlier today when he took me out for lunch and not I can't stop thinking about it and worrying it was a mistake, but I know it wasn't a mistake because obviously we were drifting apart for a while before that and all those stupid comments just made it worse and now I'm sitting in a coffee house god knows where in Atlanta because I took a very long walk and I don't know where I am, but there's always google so I'll be fine, the gist of this is really, just call me when you can ok? Because, well I already said why but I just. Please?"

Mina was stabbing the call button and rousing Pieter from his nap before she'd even thought about it. Pieter jerked up, eyes wide. He looked around for the fire but didn't find anything besides Mina sitting up straight, posture tense. She looked at him.

"Check you phone," she said, switching to French just in case the little mouse answered.

"Why?" Pieter asked, already pawing around his pants pockets anyway.

"Little mouse."

And with that Pieter pulled out his phone quicker than Mina could track, stabbing the on button hard enough Mina was surprised it didn't pop off.

"Min-Mina?" Beca's voice finally came through the phone.

Mina switched to English. "Hello, little mouse."

"Yo-you called."

"Of course I did, you asked me to."

Pieter shut off his phone and leaned closer to Mina. "I am here as well, little mouse."

"Where are you guys?" Beca sniffed and cleared her throat.

"On our tour bus, we're on our way to Austin for a show. Texas is very large and very…American." Mina scrunched her nose.

"Ja, I have seen more people pretending to be cowboys than I ever thought I would see. Those seven gallon hats are ridiculous."

"It's supposed to be ten gallon," Beca said, sounding a little more normal now.

"They do not look like they could hold ten gallons of anything." Pieter titled his head.

Mina reached over and took his hand. She wanted nothing more than to go up front and tell their driver there was a change in plans, but she knew Beca wouldn't appreciate that right now. But there was a break soon. Three more shows, two more days, and they could be back in Atlanta. Magnus could run things while they rested and traveled to their next show in Washington. There would only be two practices they would miss if they were gone for a long weekend. Under any other circumstances she would never do it, but this was her little mouse.

Pieter squeezed her hand back and moved just a little closer. Mina did not want to put this call on speaker. There were too many prying ears in the middle of a tour bus. She trusted DSM, but to Beca there were a nonentity and she wasn't about to break the trust that she had formed with Beca over something so stupid.

"I know, but that's what they're called. Maybe back in the day they were bigger I don't know. Texas is weird anyway."

Mina snorted at that. "I will agree with that statement."

"But they do have lovely barbeque. It is the one thing you Americans get right. Yum-yum."

"Of course you think with your stomach," Mina said, exasperated.

"What, I know you enjoy Tex-Mex food. I saw your face while you were eating it. You'll never admit that you like something American but you do," Pieter singsonged.

"Dude, Tex-Mex food is good. I don't blame you. Mexican food actually sounds really good. Even horrible Mexican food. God Taco Bell," Beca said, still sounding rough, but she didn't sound like she was crying anymore and Mina was infinitely glad.

"Taco Bell?" Mina asked.

"Oh, I know you've seen one. They're a fast food place. They're like everywhere. They're horrible, but they're also like the best place ever at the same time?" Beca sounded like she was shrugging.

"How can they be both of those things at once?" Pieter asked for Mina.

"I just…there's no real way to describe it unless you've been there." Beca snorted. "You guys ever come back to Atlanta and I'll take you to one. Sometimes if you don't know which ones are good and which ones are bad it can get really dicey."

"You are not selling this place well, liebling," Mina said, wincing at the slip. Beca had just broken up with her boyfriend and here she was calling her liebling. And it wasn't like Beca was any other American and didn't know what that meant. She rubbed her forehead. If she played it off as nothing, perhaps. But then again she'd already revealed her hand at the riff off. She looked over at Pieter, they both had.

"Not really, but trust me. If nothing else the faces you make while eating something there will be worth it."

"Only for you, then." It really sounded like a place Mina would rather run from than eat at. It had taken most of DSM to con her into the one Tex-Mex place they had been to, and she had given in mostly because it was the only restaurant they'd seen in an hour on the road. It had actually turned out to be a good choice, but she would never let anyone know that. Except Pieter was damned cheater and could read her like a book sometimes, as annoying and yet also convenient as that was sometimes.

"Good. You guys going to be around here any time soon?" Beca pulled in a shuddering breath.

Pieter opened his mouth to respond but Mina cut him off. "We'll be there again this weekend for a few days."

Pieter's eyes widened, but he didn't say a word to contradict her. "Ja, we will be. It will be nice to see you again, little mouse," he said instead.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to see you guys too. Stupid giant German gods."

"Is that just going to be your collective nickname for us, little mouse?" Mina asked.

"Yeah, unless you got something better."

"Oh! Oh!" Pieter said, sitting up straighter, with a grin on his face. Oh, Mina knew exactly where this was going. "You can call Mina Katze. I already do."

Oh if he was going to play dirty, so was she. "And I call him Giraffe."

"Cat and Giraffe, how the hell did you guys come up with nicknames like that?"

"Katze is just a normal German thing to call your sweetheart. He started with that first and I got fed up with it and started calling him a giraffe because he was so tall and it stuck," Mina explained.

"She doesn't like cutesy nicknames. Or at least that's what she says. She totally does," Pieter said in a fake conspiratorial whisper.

"But you're tall, so how do you get away with that whole giraffe thing?" Beca asked.

"I'm just shy of six feet tall. Pieter is almost six five. He still has five inches on me when I am in bare feet. Giraffe works."

"Barely. I'm five fucking two. He would like eat me if he hugged me."

Mina could see the innuendo in Pieter's eyes but he didn't go for it. She let out a relieved breath.

"I think it would be cute," Pieter said instead. "you being short and hugging me. You are tiny, perhaps I could pick you up and bring you to my level. Then you could look down on the world for once."

Beca huffed, annoyed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Talking to you guys is just one big extended short joke."

Mina pictured that, Beca wrapped around Pieter and smiled softly. She wanted that. She wanted to be able to walk up to the two of them and wrap her arms around until Beca was pressed between her and Pieter and she could nuzzle Beca's neck at the same time as she traced Pieter's muscles, straining just lightly under the weight of their mouse. Yes, she wanted that more than anything.

"And talking to you is one extended comment on how tall we are, mouse," Mina said, pulling herself out of her own head.

"Touché, but only because you started the short stuff first. 'You are the kicker of ass? But you are so tiny,'" Beca mocked.

"That is true, I did, but mouse, you don't look like you could kick anyone's ass. The most lethal thing about you is the points on your eyeliner." Mina laughed.

"Well, I think there was a compliment in there somewhere. Good to know my eyeliner is on point. You have no idea how much I practiced."

"Ja, perhaps you can teach Pieter how to do his better. He is horrible when he has to do it for shows." Mina smirked over at him. He flicked her on the arm with his free hand. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yes! I knew he was wearing guyliner. I knew it! I fucking win the bet with Fat Amy. Yes!"

Mina laughed hard enough that she had to collapse onto Pieter. He shook his head, rolling his eyes, but he still dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm glad I have provided you with money, mouse. You will use that to buy me a drink while we are there to restore my lost honor," Pieter said, voice trying to be serious, but he wasn't quite pulling it off well.

"Ok, I'll agree to that. I'll take you guys out to one of my favorite bars. Though not the same night as Taco Bell. Bad idea."

Mina wiped the tears from her eyes and sat up once more. "Ok, that sounds like a plan." She would get to dance with her mouse. She looked up at Pieter. _They_ would get to dance with their mouse. She looked forward to it perhaps more than words in any language she knew could express.

There was a lull in conversation and Mina held back from saying anything more. The air had shifted from light and joking somehow in the last few seconds. She was about to ask something, but Pieter beat her to it.

"Little mouse, are you truly ok?" Pieter's voice was caring, kind, warm, so many things. Mina had heard that voice before on some of the worst nights she'd had in recent memory. He had soothed her using that voice. It brought a hot lump to the back of her throat. She gripped harder onto his hand and tried to get herself under control again. She could not lose it here. She was the Kommissar here.

"I…think I will be, but maybe not right now, you know?" Beca said after a long moment.

There was silence again, but Mina knew that Beca had more to say, she could just feel it.

"It's just that…he was my boyfriend for three years and for a long while I thought he was going to be the one and all, but now he's just gone. And I mean, I still care about him because it's not like we had a super bad ending or anything, it could have been worse and maybe after a while we can talk again, and really you can't just stop caring about people like you're flipping a light switch as much as I wish you could because I just—it would be a lot easier. I wanted to fix it as soon as I told him I was breaking up with him, and I started to panic thinking I'd just fucked up yet another good thing in my life because I was emotionally unavailable or something, but I knew it wasn't like that this time. But that was what the freak out message was really, me trying not to go refuck up a bad situation that I'd gotten out of. Basically I just sort of overreact sometimes when emotions are involved."

Pieter looked at Mina, look laden with meaning. "Ja, I think we have had experience with exactly that, mouse."

Beca breathed out audibly. "Yeah. I just…thank you guys for calling. You did make me feel better and everything."

"Good, little mouse, good, and any time, doesn't matter day or night, if we aren't putting on a show, we will be there for you no matter what," Mina said.

"Ja," Pieter agreed, softly.

"Thanks. I really don't want to go back to face the Bellas just yet. They'll be great about this and give me enough ice cream and alcohol to drown a thousand people, but as much as I appreciate it, I'm not really ready for that many people just yet."

"We're still here. We can talk some more if you wish," Mina offered.

"Yeah, yeah I'd like that. I just…" she trailed off.

Mina was torn between asking what and just letting the mouse come to the words in her own time. But she herself would want the space to speak on her own terms so she stayed silent.

"I don't know. It's—this is the first major relationship I've had that hasn't fallen apart just because of something I did. Usually I checked out before anyone else could do anything to me, you know? So I really didn't know how fucking crappy this felt. Kinda see why a bunch of people write songs about this now." Beca sighed heavily. "And part of me…wonders if he's right, about what he said the night of the riff off. I mean he was being a drunken ass and him joking about it was a way to try and make it ok again, but it wasn't. But there's that whole thing about drunk words being sober thoughts, and I pretty much subscribe to that way of thinking, but sometimes your thoughts get away from you and that's not really what you truly think. But I just…I'm beginning to think that maybe he saw something I didn't."

"Mouse," Pieter said softly. "What he said to you that night was cruel, full of jealousy and distrust. You need think nothing more on anything he said that night. You did nothing beyond talking to us. Nothing is wrong with that."

"No, but…" Beca trail off again. "Maybe I am now. I don't know. I'm not making sense right now. My brain's all scrambled up from everything. I really just need to sleep for about five days and let everything sort itself out. Too bad my bed is in the middle of a house full of Bellas." Beca groaned.

"Mouse…" Mina swallowed, wondering if the girl really was saying what Mina thought she was saying or if it was just her own hope clouding her vision. Because Beca was right. She wasn't quite making sense, but Mina knew enough that she could probably figure it out anyway, if she wasn't quite so worried about over reading into things. "Whatever sorts out in that head of yours, it will be ok and we will be here for you."

"Thanks. Is it bad I'm totally thinking of climbing the tree outside my window just so I don't have to face my friends?"

"No, but you could always tell them that you will talk with them, but not right now, that you need some space before that. And some sleep," Pieter said. "These friends should respect that."

"The thing is, they're really used to me saying stuff like that and then never talking. And really, as much as this sucks right now and as much as I don't want to feel any of this, that might happen again."

"Will it help you if you chew the bullet and talk to them?" Mina asked.

"Bite the bullet, liebling," Pieter corrected.

She glared at him. "You are the one who gets stupid American idioms wrong on purpose and yet you correct me." She shook herself. "Beside the point. Will it?"

Beca laughed softly at their exchange. "Yeah, it always does. I'm just really emotionally drained after, and right now, I'm already there. I really just want a hug and to cuddle for a little bit."

Mina wished that she could fulfill those wants, but she was halfway across the country. She scowled and wished not for the first time that she had super powers. She looked up at Pieter, and read the same want in his face. If they could be there, they would in a heartbeat.

"As much as you don't want to then, liebling, I think you should go talk to your friends. It will help you. And then you should sleep for as long as you want. Take a day off from school, from everything and just allow yourself to sort everything out."

"I wish I could, but I can't." Beca's voice grew tight. "My friends have no idea but I have an internship at a record label here in Atlanta. I just…I haven't told them because they're so focused on Worlds and everyone thinks that that should be our top priority but we have to think about the future too, you know? But they don't see that and I don't want them to be mad at me. So I can't take off tomorrow. I have to be there at the ass crack of dawn to make other people fucking coffee while my life is a wreck. It'll be great."

"They do make sick days," Pieter said. "And something tells me you haven't used one. Stomach flu is convenient. No one wants you to come in but you can be better by the next day. I've used that excuse to great effect."

Mina sat up and glared at him. "You didn't," she mouthed at him.

He looked sheepish. "Only twice with you, but it was for important reasons, and only to skip DSM practice."

She socked him in the arm. "Never again."

"Ok."

"But Pieter does have a point. Stomach flu is a good excuse. You need time to take care of yourself. You come first," Mina said.

"I, uh, but, I mean, ugh fine ok."

Mina just barely smiled. "Good. I'm glad we settled that. Now go talk to your friends, liebling." She heard shuffling in the background.

"I suppose." Beca sounded just a bit petulant, which Mina found oddly adorable.

"Text us tomorrow if you feel up to it. If not there is no need to feel obligated."

"All right. And really, thanks again for talking to me. I appreciate it more than you know."

"It's all worth it to know that you are ok, little mouse," Pieter said.

"God, you guys really are perfect."

"Only on certain days," Pieter said, smile finally coming back to his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll believe that when I see it. I'll talk to you guys later."

"Goodbye mouse," Pieter and Mina said at the same time.

"Bye."

Mina took the phone from between them and hit the end button. They both sat in silence for a long moment. She leaned further into Pieter, needing the closeness.

"Am I the only one who wants to turn this bus around?" Pieter asked quietly.

"No. No you aren't," Mina replied.

Pieter squeezed their still interlaced hands. "A few more days and we will be with the mouse."

"Too many, Pieter."

He leaned over and kissed her temple. "I know. But her friends will take care of her until we can get there. And then you and I can help her."

"More like you will help her and I will stand by as I always do when it comes to emotions." Mina looked out the window at the complete flat, brown landscape. It was so different from Germany. She was used to green and the sharp smell of pine in the air. This place…it just looked so dead.

"No, that won't be how it is. You just helped the mouse get through the first bit of her panic. You deal with emotion better than you think you do. At least other's emotions. You dealing with your own emotions…well that is why I am here."

Mina's eyes closed slowly, so many feelings flowing through her, love for Pieter and worry for her mouse most strongly, followed by fear that she wouldn't be enough, triumph that there was finally a chance for them now that Beca's boyfriend was no more, and guilt for feeling that way. She couldn't quite get her head to stop spinning around all of those things.

She laid her head on Pieter's shoulder. "I love you," Mina whispered into the fabric of his t-shirt. She felt him stiffen just slightly under her. She didn't say those words to him often, choosing only to say it when she truly and deeply felt the emotion. She was always more about action, but she knew he remembered every single time she had said that phrase to him. It was more special to him than she perhaps knew, or would ever know. And for some reason, the words this time rang truer than they ever had before, and Mina knew that it had something to do with the mouse, but why escaped her.

"I love you too, darling," Pieter said, finally switching back into German.

Mina sighed, feeling just a bit of peace course through her body.

"And in two days we will be with the mouse, and we will have our chance, but she comes first."

"She does," Mina said. "She is…everything. I can't explain it. It does not make sense to me, but…"

"But sometimes love does not make sense at all. I have faith in all three of us that we will figure it out." Pieter moved slightly, wrapping her arm around Mina's shoulders and drawing her in closer.

"Ever the optimistic." Mina smiled just slightly.

"Someone has to be in this operation."

"Idiot."

"Yours."

"Yes, you are."

Pieter rubbed his hand up and down her upper arm. "Yes, now sleep. There is still a couple hours before we will be there. I'll make sure nothing falls apart in the interim."

"Thank you."

"Always, darling."

Mina relaxed into him and was asleep a few minutes later.


	5. Chapter 5

Next chapter, loving the feedback from you guys, the support is great.

* * *

DSM had been rather floored that their dynamic leaders had actually elected to take a few days off and leave Magnus in charge, but Mina hadn't given a rat's ass about their reactions. If she came back to absolute chaos, they would pay with grueling practices, and never want her to leave again and that would be the end of it. Now she was in Atlanta once more, waiting for her mouse to text them back.

Beca had texted them both the day before during her scheduled day off. She'd said she needed to talk to them, not for any particular reason but just to talk. It had set butterflies fluttering in Mina's stomach that she wanted to talk to them that much on a day that she was supposed to be taking only for herself. She supposed that she had also talked to the Bellas as well, but that was unavoidable considering she lived with them. But Beca had sought them out and that meant more, she knew.

But Beca had not texted them today. Mina had sent her a message when they had gotten into town and checked into their hotel. She knew that it was technically still Friday and there were still classes and what not going on. Perhaps their mouse was being a good student to make up for the missed day yesterday. It would make sense, but Mina did not know for sure and she was on edge. She did not like being out of control of things, or at the bare minimum, knowing everything that was going on, even in this.

Pieter of course, was calm as always, going with the flow and calming her down as much as possible. He sat on their bed in the hotel room, splayed out carelessly, playing some dumb game on his phone as it charged, free hand making small circles on Mina's leg. She put her hand over his and stilled the movement.

"What if—" Mina started to ask but Pieter cut her off.

"Cat, she was very enthusiastic about getting to see us yesterday. When she is done with her responsibilities today, she will contact us. Everything will be fine."

"But what—"

This time Pieter cut her off with a kiss. Mina huffed and didn't reciprocate for a long moment, but Pieter was always persistent and she found herself kissing back anyway. His hand slipped into her hair and she was going to kill him for that later because she had just fixed from the long bus ride, but for now she just sighed into the kiss, arms slipping around his neck.

Pieter pulled back a minute later. "Better now?"

She glared at him. "I suppose. But now I have to fix my hair again, you stupid giraffe." She leaned up and kissed him again quickly before ducking out of his arms and walking into the hotel bathroom. She frowned at her hair. It wasn't bad, really, but she wanted to look perfect when the mouse did call them. So she ran the brush through it and fixed everything just so.

"You know she isn't going to care," Pieter said, raising his voice to be heard. "She looked like she was going to eat you up after the riff off when you were mussed from singing and jumping around."

"Pieter, that is not the point right now." Mina walked back out of the bathroom, satisfied once more with her appearance.

Pieter looked her up and down, from the black stilettos on her feet, to the pair of skinny jeans that might as well be painted on, up to the black blouse with one too many buttons undone to be truly proper, to her hair down around her shoulders in loose waves. "That is totally the point right now. You are dressed to impress, but not to intimidate. Basically you are dressed for a date, a first, perhaps second date where you still want to impress the person but haven't quite gotten comfortable with them yet. You wore much the same outfit when we first started dating."

Mina went to object, but stopped. He was right. About all of it. As he normally was, but damn it was still annoying.

"Ugh, fine, what is your point, giraffe?"

"The same as it was a minute ago. You don't need to work hard to impress her. She is already impressed."

"But…"

Pieter sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He got up from the bed and walked over to her and set his hands on her shoulders gently. "I know you find it hard to believe sometimes, but sometimes you don't have to work for things, sometimes they are given freely. Like what is between us, like what might be between us and the mouse. That's what love is, darling."

"But love is work."

"To maintain, yes, but that's more the relationship part of it than anything. Love is given no matter what. There have been people you loved and expected nothing of, yes? Because you knew they couldn't or didn't, but you didn't care, and that didn't matter to you because you loved them anyway."

Mina nodded.

"It is like that." He smiled warmly at her. "For someone who woos so many people you would thing that you would be the one with all the love advice." He kissed her forehead.

"You are the heart, I'm the head, remember. The fact that I'm polyamorous doesn't change that."

"No, no it doesn't, but I wouldn't have you any other way."

Mina stepped closer to him and hugged him to her. They were the same height when she was in these heels and secretly she loved it. Or perhaps not so secretly. Perhaps the secret was she loved even more when her heels were off and suddenly his hugs engulfed her completely. But she would never admit to that.

"How come you can be so smooth with me, yet you are an idiot with the mouse?" Mina teased, still hanging onto him.

"Different people, different wooing styles." He pulled back. "And I am goofy with you too, I just get a lot of little eye rolls and light arm slaps for my trouble."

"That is true."

He cupped her face. "This will all work out as long as you don't over think it. I haven't seen you this nervous. You came close at the beginning of our relationship, but now is worse, though perhaps I can just see more after all this time."

Mina shook her head. "No, it is more. You were…almost a sure thing. You chased after me. The only nervousness was letting you in. Now we're chasing after her. It's different. Coupled with the fact that what we want is out of the ordinary…it is worse."

"Like I said, don't over think it and it will all work out."

Both of their phones vibrated at almost the same time. Mina was out of Pieter's grasp and by her phone in a second. She relaxed once she saw the little mouse emoji on her screen. It was Beca. She opened the message quickly.

"Hey, sorry, I just got out of class, but now I'm done for the day and starving. Dinner? Still willing to try Taco Bell? Because I need greasy food in my life right now. We can walk around Atlanta and I can show you guys some of the sights afterward if you want."

Mina had to stop herself from sending something along the lines of 'anywhere you want to take me, I will go.' She looked up at Pieter who had a supremely smug smile on his face. She rolled her eyes. That man should never be proved right.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me, though I'm not sure about this…Taco Bell place. Nothing ventured, nothing gained I suppose." He shrugged.

"Pieter, you eat like a garbage disposal."

"Sometimes garbage disposals do not like what's put in them."

Mina snorted skeptically but turned on her phone again. "Yes, mouse, that sounds wonderful. Where should we meet you?"

"You guys think you can get to Barden? It's pretty central to everything I want to show you guys and the Taco Bell I'm thinking of."

"Yes, we can do that," Mina sent back immediately, gathering her things. Pieter got the hint and followed suit and soon they were on their way out the door and snagging a taxi.

Since they had gotten a hotel closer to campus the ride was less than ten minutes, for which Mina was glad. She wanted to be there as soon as possible. As they got closer Mina could tell that even Pieter was a little anxious.

Mina was out of the car as soon as they were there, leaving Pieter to pay the cabby. She pulled out her phone and texted Beca that they were on campus and asked her where to go next. Pieter appeared by her side a second later, peeking over her shoulder.

"At least it doesn't seem like a big campus," Pieter said.

"You say that about anything that's not our alma mater."

"Well, it's true." He shrugged.

Mina tilted her head in acknowledgement of the point.

A second later a text from Beca told them to head towards the middle of campus for a fountain that everyone called Lake Barden. Seemed simple enough. She would just corner some co-ed if they got lost and ask for directions, but the instructions seemed simple enough. They set off together, Pieter's hand finding hers as they walked. Butterflies were starting in Mina's stomach, fluttering and making like they were going to carry her away.

A few minutes later Mina could see why everyone called the thing a lake. It was a rather large fountain and took up most of the square. Mina smiled as she had an idea. She tugged Pieter forward and sat them both down on the edge of the fountain and took a picture of them with the fountain recognizable in the background. They both we smiling, faces pushed together as the sun glinted off the water. It was a good picture for something spur of the moment. Mina clicked on the button to send it as picture mail. "Now what?" she captioned the picture before sending it.

"On my way," Beca sent back. "Stay right where you are."

Beca appeared on the horizon another minute later. Mina knew it was her even far off. She would know their mouse anywhere. She sat up straighter and smiled, relaxing for the first time all day. She stood up easily, Pieter right behind her and started to walk towards Beca.

"Little mouse," she greeted once they were in hearing range.

"Hey," Beca smiled, but she still looked tired and Mina wanted to just scoop the woman up in her arms and banish anything that was making her feel bad.

"It is not as bad as I thought it would be here. American universities," Pieter scoffed.

"Not all universities can have six hundred year long histories. You got start somewhere, you know." Beca rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I suppose." Pieter smiled and stepped forward. He tapped Beca on the nose as she scrunched her face. "But you must admit, the history makes them better."

"Ok, so when I was in Germany, it was definitely prettier, but it's not so bad here, really." She grabbed Pieter's hand and pulled it away from her face. "Now, I think I promised to show you Taco Bell." This time her smile was more genuine.

"Yes, I believe you did," Mina said.

Beca finally dropped Pieter's hand a great many moments after when she should have by normal societal conventions. Mina smirked internally at that. Perhaps Pieter was right at least in some way.

"Alright then, come on. I could eat like ten tacos right now, no joke." She brushed past the both of them and started walking the other way. She turned around after a few steps. "Obviously this way. Coming?"

Mina and Pieter looked at each other and smirked.

"Oh come on, get your beautiful heads out of the damn gutter. It's just tacos. And it's not a fucking euphuism, and innuendo, or anything else of that sort. Geez."

Mina and Pieter laughed at the same time and started to walk, catching up easily with Beca. "Are you really going to eat ten tacos?" Pieter asked. "Where would you even put them, you are so little."

"I have a black hole in my stomach," Beca said with a straight face and serious expression.

Pieter snorted. "As do I. It makes this one complain about our food bills." He gestured at Mina.

"Do not even, Pieter. You eat like a pig. More like ten pigs. We could feed a small third world country with all that you eat."

He patted he very flat stomach. "I am a growing boy."

"You are twenty-four. You have stopped growing. You stopped growing our sophomore year."

"Maybe, but these did not come until later." He flexed his muscles and wiggled his eyebrows.

"What, at like six feet tall, you have to put away food too with how much you guys probably practice," Beca said, butting into their argument.

Mina looked down at the tiny woman. "I do eat a good bit, yet, but considering all that you said, it is proportional to my nutritional needs. Pieter, on the other hand eats a small school bus every day. If he does not stop when he hits forty and his metabolism slows down he will have a very large beer belly."

"Nah, I will just continue to exercise. I do like it." Pieter shrugged.

"You…like to exercise?" Beca stared at him in disbelief. "Are you even human?"

"What, working up a nice sweat makes me feel nice."

"I just feel like I'm going to die but I do it anyway because I know it's good for me. But you like it. Weirdo," she said, with just a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yes, well, that was already established long ago wasn't it?" He wiggled his eyebrows ago.

"Oh believe me, that was established many, many years ago. Beca was just not around for that at the time." Mina smirked over at him. "If you want awkward middle school stories of this one, I have a great many."

Pieter's eyes widened. "Only if you want her to know about what you were like as well."

Oh, that was a good threat. "Truce then." She stuck out her hand and Pieter shook it without hesitation.

"Oh no, I'm totally going to pry those stories out of you guys one at a time. I don't care what it takes." Beca said, continuing to walk forward with an innocent expression on her face.

Mina and Pieter looked at each other with slightly horrified expressions. That would not be a good thing. They couldn't let that happen. But then they both glanced at Beca again and they both looked back again with slightly resigned faces. They weren't going to be able to deny their mouse, if that was what she really wanted. Mina squinched her eyes shut. Oh god, that was not going to end well for either of them. They had been horrible in middle school, horrible. Puberty had been very, very kind to them both. And of course they wanted no one to know that fact and just think that they'd always been beautiful and completely socially self-assured. The mouse would have field day with all the information to the contrary.

"I'm sure someone around here knows embarrassing stories about you, mouse," Pieter said.

Mina relaxed slightly. Nothing was better to deflect than reminding people they'd had embarrassing phases too.

Beca turned and looked over her shoulder at both of them. "Oh they do, but Bella loyalty and all." She smirked. "And I have enough dirt on them to keep them quiet anyway."

"Evil, evil mouse," Pieter said shaking his head.

"Maybe a little bit."

They walked through a fair number of streets before entering into Taco Bell. Mina's stomach growled. It smelled good but a little bit like death. Mina was conflicted. Did she really want to eat here? Then again, Pieter was right, she had liked the Tex Mex place. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad. She'd just have to pretend she hated it for appearances sake, of course.

They stepped into line. "What do you get, Beca?" Mina asked, looking up at the menu and squinting. What the hell was a Quesorito? That sounded like a disease.

"Mostly just a bunch of tacos. I'm boring. But Chloe usually gets a Crunchwrap, that's a good place to start here and I've heard good thing about the doritos tacos. She frowned. Maybe I'll get a couple of those too, spice things up."

"I think I will just stick to tacos and nachos. At least I know what those are," Pieter said, staring up at the menu. "What in the world is a Quesorito? That does not sound appealing."

Beca laughed. "It's a burrito that's been wrapped up in a cheese quesadilla."

Mina and Pieter looked at each other with facial expressions that clearly screamed "What the fuck _are_ Americans?"

Beca laughed harder. "Oh, I knew bringing you guys here would be priceless. I was totally fucking right. Your faces just now." She pulled a ridiculous face.

"We do not look like that," Mina objected. "Well, at least I don't look like that. I can't say anything about that one." She nudged Pieter.

Pieter shrugged. "I do like the funny faces."

"That is an understatement," Mina said.

"Also true." He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled them closer.

Mina watched Beca closely and saw the flash of want go through Beca's eyes. Mina wanted to reach out and draw the other woman into their little impromptu side hug, but they had just gotten here, and their mouse was not completely recovered from a breakup. Beca was a human being and deserved to be treated as one. Her own words echoed in her mind from the riff off. And so she just smiled warmly at Beca and hoped that for now, that was enough.

They placed their orders. Mina ended up getting a Crunchwrap meal. She was curious about food that was hexagonal in shape more than anything else. It couldn't be too bad if people ate this every day. But then again, Americans ate this. It wasn't reassuring.

Beca grabbed them all a table and they sat down once their food was ready. Beca stared at them expectantly and Pieter dug in with a little less gusto than normal. He took a bite out of his taco and made a face.

"I am not even sure that this is real meat." He opened up the taco and looked inside, poking at the meat at the bottom.

Beca snickered. "Yeah, it's meat, but like…barely? Don't think about it too much."

"You're quite the salesperson," Pieter deadpanned, but he folded back up the taco and started to eat again.

Beca looked at Mina and her still wrapped up Crunchwrap. "Come on, it won't bite the mighty Kommissar."

Mina rolled her eyes. "You get joy out of our pain, mouse. I wonder what that says about you."

"You aren't being physically harmed in any way, so I'd say I'm fine." She unwrapped a taco, squirted a great amount of hot sauce on it and then took a bite, sighing, her eyes fluttering closed. Mina wondered how the woman could make eating fast food into an almost erotic experience.

Mina finally bit the bullet, upwrapped the Crunchwrap and held it up for a second and just going for it. She almost moaned, but realized that she had appearances to keep up so she forced her face into a scowl, even though what she was eating was really good. DSM would never let her hear the end of it if they knew she liked American fast food and she for one was not letting that happen.

"I don't know what to say," she said after swallowing.

"You loved it," Beca and Pieter said at the same time.

Mina glanced between the two of them. They smiled at each other and Pieter raised a hand for a high five which Beca readily gave. Children. She was with children.

"Tell anyone and I kill you both in your sleep," Mina said glaring at the both of them.

Beca looked a little cowed, but Pieter just kept on laughing. Years of threats had left him completely immune to her. She huffed and took another bite. Well, at least no other members of DSM were here to witness this. She might as well enjoy it.

"You will do no such thing," Pieter said. "You like us both too much."

"That is debatable some days, at least with you." Mina reached for her drink just as Pieter pulled her closer and kissed her cheek noisily.

"Pieter!" she shrieked just a little louder than she wanted to. She could feel the eyes of other patrons on them and she felt just the tiniest blush rise to her cheeks. She shoved Pieter away and glared at him again but he just kept on smiling. "Do you have manners? I know your mother taught them to you. Where did they go?"

"Oh, I think I lost them somewhere in Alabama. Crazy state that one. Or maybe it was the one with too many s's and I's."

"Mississippi?" Beca asked.

"Ah, yes, that one. It was…strange."

"Yeah, the rest of the US thinks so too, don't worry. Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and sometimes Florida, no one else really understands." Beca shrugged. "I guess that's what you get with a huge ass country. There are going to be some odd men out."

"Yes, well, they are very far out and not in the good way." Pieter picked at his nachos, selecting the one with the most toppings on it carefully and then popping it into his mouth.

"Why does it surprise not surprise me that you can get the old idioms that no one uses anymore right but you can't get hot mess right." Beca looked at Pieter and cocked an eyebrow.

"Who says I can't get your silly little idioms right if I wanted to and just get them wrong to throw off you Americans?" Pieter challenged.

"Then go the whole day getting them right and I'll believe you."

"You're on. What do I get if I win?"

"The satisfaction of knowing you're the winner? I don't know, I'm a broke college student, dude."

Pieter looked thoughtful for a second, but then shook his head. Mina knew exactly what he was thinking. She would be thinking the same thing in his situation. There was only one thing that she really wanted from Beca, a date, or perhaps if Pieter was thinking smaller, a kiss. But he had decided against it. She slipped a hand under the table and squeezed his thigh lightly.

"Fine, fine, I suppose that will have to do. I'll buy you another one of these horrible tacos if you do win."

Beca smiled. "Ok, sounds good to me. Tacos always sound good to me." She unwrapped another taco and doused it in hot sauce.

"How do you still have a mouth, mouse?" Mina asked, looking at the insane amount of sauce on the taco.

"Eh, it's not really that hot in the grand scheme of things. Taco bell is marketed towards really white people, you know. So hot sauce isn't super-hot, spicy, totally, but not like death or anything." She shrugged.

Mina looked at her dubiously but said nothing more. Together they finished up their meal and threw away their trash. Mina wondered already how she was going to sneak off from DSM to go to Taco Bell again. Pieter would probably cover for her, but by the look on his face he wasn't going to come here again himself. She was fine with that. There would be less taunting.

"So, what do you want to see first?" Beca asked once they were out in the open air again walking slowly all together, three across, Beca in the middle and Pieter and Mina at either side.

"I don't know mouse, you're the one from here. You said you had places to show us." Mina smiled down at her.

"I do, but like, I don't know where to go first."

"Just go where the wind takes you. We are pleased to be along for the ride." Pieter shrugged.

"Alright, well, come on then. I'll show you downtown then and then maybe the park that everyone loves here. Downtown probably won't look impressive to you since you're all German and junk, but hush. Not everyone lives in a thousand year old city."

Mina laughed. "True, some are better than others."

Beca stuck out her tongue.

"I'm sure the view will be improved by you being with us, mouse." Pieter smiled as Beca blushed.

Mina smiled too, soft and warm. She liked this, a great deal. It almost felt dangerous. But in a way that she would gladly fall for. And maybe that was the most dangerous thing of all.

"Come on you two German giants. Time to go wow some people with your stunningly good looks. Actually people might hit on you." A flash of jealousy crossed Beca's face.

"Oh, we're very good at fending off people who hit on us." Mina wrapped her arms around Pieter's waist and hung all over him overdramatically as he clutched her to him.

"A little bit of PDA and they all seem to go running," Pieter said.

"Though if there are men who will not go away from me, well, Pieter is very intimidating when need be, something about the overabundance of muscle." Mina smirked.

"Yes, it might be that." Beca looked at him for a long moment with wide eyes. "They are large, and attractive, and…" Beca trailed off. She kept staring for a long while before she shook herself and looked away. "Right, well, um, just, we need to turn this way," she said suddenly.

Mina and Pieter looked at each other with smiles on their faces before they caught up with their little mouse quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry I'm being such a fuck truck with updates. I came home for a couple weeks and apparently that means I've lost allproductivity. I'm trying to get back on track, but it might still be slow with everything else for a little while.

* * *

They slowly made their way towards downtown. Really to Mina it looked like any other city's downtown. Tall building, lots of cars, so many lights and signs. Granted in Europe there were usually also old buildings mixed among the new, but that was the only real difference. Truly what was amazing was Beca leading them around, pointing to buildings and telling them odd facts and stories about them every now and again. Mina loved the funny little looks that would cross her face, the awe, the amusement, the slight disgust, and everything in-between. Mina felt herself falling just the slightest bit more at every different look.

She glanced over at Pieter and saw the same expression on her face. He turned and met her gaze and nodded with a small smile on his face. He knew what she was thinking, what they both had to be thinking. They weren't hearing a single word that Beca said, but that was ok, because she was wonderful and interesting in so many other ways.

Beca stopped outside a store and looked at both of them. "Hey, you want ice cream? This place is the fucking best. They have Earl Grey ice cream. It's like the best fucking thing ever, oh my god."

Mina cocked an eyebrow. "Earl Grey ice cream? How does that even work? How do you make tea into ice cream?"

Beca shrugged. "Don't know, you'll just have to try it, dude. If you want some anyway."

"Anything to get the taste of those things you called tacos out of my mouth," Pieter said.

Beca snorted. "They were good, you just don't have good taste."

Pieter smirked. "Oh, I think I have great taste." He looked at her significantly and then to Mina and his smirk intensified.

Beca spluttered for a minute, but couldn't find anything to say so she just looked at them once, opened the door to the ice cream shop and walked in.

Mina hooked her arm through Pieter's. "You do have a unique way of making her speechless. It's cute."

"Yes, I think the same thing. That's why I do it."

Mina laughed quietly and then opened the door to lead them both through the door. Inside the ice cream shop smelled like freshly baked waffle cones and concentrated sugar. Mina's mouth watered. Ice cream was a bit of a weakness, though she usually tried not to indulge. Today, however, was an exception for more than one reason. She looked over the flavors and found mint chocolate chip and smiled. Her favorite.

Beca was already at the counter. "I want two scoops of Earl Grey in a cone, and then whatever these two idiots want."

Mina stepped forward. "You don't have to pay for us, mouse."

"Pay back for the cab, remember?" Beca looked at them challengingly.

"A month and you still remember that." Mina rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine." She looked at the man behind the counter. "I want a scoop of mint chocolate chip in a cone, please," she said switching to English for the man's benefit.

Pieter stepped up beside her and waited until the man was done scooping Mina's cone. "I want two scoops of the chocolate coffee in a cup, please." He smiled and bounced a bit on his toes. The last thing that he needed was anything with caffeine, but he loved his coffee in any form.

While Beca paid for them Mina and Pieter grabbed napkins and a table in the corner of the small shop. Beca joined them a minute later, flopping down across from them, eating her ice cream with a smile.

"Oh my god, it's so good," she moaned.

Mina had to swallow hard and look away. No human should make sounds so sinful. She felt Pieter tense just slightly beside her. Once again they were on the same page.

She took a bite of her own ice cream and hummed. It was good. This place's ice cream wasn't overly sweet like many American places. It was balanced perfectly. She crunched down on a few chocolate pieces with joy. Good ice cream. Always so wonderful and uplifting.

"Seriously, you guys have to try this, at least a bite. It sounds weird, but it's actually really good." Beca held out her cone to them.

Mina looked at it for just a second before she grabbed it with her free hand and raised it to her mouth. She locked eyes with Beca as she took a lick. She couldn't quite help it, even though she knew it probably crossed a line. She sat back a bit a second later looking at the ice cream cone.

"Oh my god, that is wonderful." She handed it over to Pieter. "It tastes just like the tea, but in a good way? I do not understand."

Pieter took a bite of the ice cream and nodded. "Yeah, it is very good." He handed it back to Beca. "But I still prefer my coffee." He took a bite of his own ice cream and smiled.

Beca stuck out her tongue. "Coffee snob." She snorted. "It's ok, I'm totally a coffee snob too, but Chloe fucking loves tea and she had me try this one time we were here and I haven't looked back since. Because their coffee ice cream is great, but this is even better. And this is the only place you can really get it."

Oh no. Mina totally knew what was coming next. Pieter sat up a little straighter and leaned forward just a bit.

"What is your favorite type of coffee?"

And then the conversation was off about coffee and different types and Mina couldn't keep up with any of it. She liked coffee, but not enough to know any more about it than how she liked it and how to brew it properly. She knew more about tea because of her mother and loved a cup at night to soothe her to sleep. She glanced back at the counter, licking her ice cream cone and contemplating going back for another scoop of that Earl Grey ice cream. She would have to let her mother know that they had somehow turned one of her favorite teas into ice cream. She would no doubt look for it, though Germany probably didn't have such a thing.

She finished her ice cream cone, in no hurry as both Pieter and Beca were still trading coffee secrets or what not. It was cute how passionate they both were. She could see mornings together with the both of them, Beca wearing one of Mina's DSM shirts, over long on her and reaching to her thighs, Pieter in his boxers and herself in one of Pieter's shirts, all in the kitchen making breakfast and those two would be debating what sort of coffee would be best of the morning while Mina looked on. If only Beca would join them. Mina's chest ached for just a second before she stopped it, sealed her emotions off for just long enough to get herself back under control.

She stood up. She needed a little distance. Mina smiled at Beca. "Perhaps I will get some of that ice cream for myself, ja?"

Beca smiled. "I told you it was good."

"That you did, little mouse." Her mouse. Their mouse.

She looked at Pieter and she knew he could see the slightly struggle in her eyes. They would talk about it later, no doubt, but for now she was still the ever strong Kommissar. She walked up to the counter and ordered another cone for herself and paid, licking the ice cream and savoring it. It really was good, citrusy and bright, tea flavor coming through brilliantly. It was light someone had added milk to their tear and just chilled it, but Mina knew it had to be much more complicated than that.

She went back and sat at their table again where Pieter and Beca's conversation was finally dying out. Mina smirked at them both.

"How you two could talk so long about something so simple as coffee, I will never know."

"It's not simple," they both said at the same time.

Mina laughed. "If you say so." She took another bite of her ice cream. "So we know you like coffee, are a member of the Barden Bellas, you go to Barden University, and we know that one of your majors is German, but what is the other and what do you want to do with it?" She sat forward wanting to know the answer.

"Music production. That's why I have that internship at the record label. Gotta get my foot in the door somewhere, you know?"

Mina nodded. "I do. The music world is very like that. You have to start at the bottom or you must know someone, unless you are very, very lucky." She looked at Pieter. "We were very, very lucky, well, that and we went to a school that prepared us greatly, but still luck was a great part of it. To join a successful group like DSM skill is most of it, yes, but." She shrugged.

"Being at the right place and time helps too," Pieter finished for her.

"Yeah, totally. You guys want to do anything other than DSM?" Beca asked. She crumpled the napkin she'd used up and then straightened it out almost absently.

"In a perfect world I'd like to do something with choreography," Pieter said. "I make up most of it for DSM now with some help from Anja and Emily. Something for big name star would be the dream, of course, but anything at all would be nice. With DSM being such a big name in Europe it won't be hard to find something, hopefully. This one made sure I had backups just in case, though." He gestured at Mina.

Mina looked at him. "Of course I did, you idiot. I will not support you while you sit on the couch flipping through channels on the TV."

"Oh please, who even uses a TV anymore? Netflix is the way to be."

"You know exactly what I mean." She punched him lightly in the arm.

"You see yourselves together for the long haul?" Beca asked.

The words 'I see us all together for the long haul' almost left her mouth, but she had strict control over her tongue, and so they did not meet the air. Instead she said, "Yes," at the exact same time Pieter did.

Beca looked at them carefully, clearly trying to figure out exactly where she fit in in this equation. To Mina it was so very clear. Pieter and her were pieces that fit snugly together already, but Beca was that piece that locked them together permanently. But she could not tell Beca this. They were here to visit, to make her feel better about her breakup, nothing more.

But then Beca was blinking once more and looking at Mina. "And what about you, life after DSM or will you be the Kommissar forever?"

Mina shook her head. "It is nice for where we are now in our lives, getting to travel the world and see and do things we otherwise would not, but eventually I want to settle down. I've actually made a name for myself, albeit a small one, in Germany as a song writer. I have a talent for it, it seems. After all the training at the conservatory, it's really no wonder, but, that will probably be what I do after this."

Beca tilted her head. "So it seems we're all going to end up in the music industry somewhere. How coincidental."

Pieter cocked an eyebrow. "Is it really? After all we are all members of a cappella teams. That usually expresses a love of music. It would not be uncommon that people who want music based careers are in their ranks, especially with DSM considering that is already a music based career."

"True, I guess you have a point." Beca shrugged. "I guess it's just odd in a way how we're so alike but really, really different."

"All people have similarities. No one is really as individual as they thing they are," Mina said. "It's not really that odd."

"Aren't you just a special little ray of sunshine," Beca deadpanned.

"What?" Mina looked at her with wide eyes. "It's true. I mean we are all made of exactly identical substances. The differences in our DNA that make us look like we do are so very, very minute. Everyone might preach that we are unique, but really, there are only so many ways to do things. That's not to say that everything we do will be found in every other person, but there's probably a person who has the same idea, feature, personality trait, what have you, out there right now. There are seven billion of us that is a huge number, so large that the human brain can't even properly wrap around the concept. The odds are very high, you see."

"She is a bit of a science nerd, too," Pieter said finishing the last of his ice cream and twirling around the bowl with his spoon.

"Yes, so? If I hadn't loved music so much I would have gone into a science career. If you haven't loved music so much you would have gone into teaching. We all have paths that we would have loved to have chosen but chose something else."

Beca smiled at them both. "I don't really. Music was really the only thing I could ever see myself going into."

"You've wanted to do nothing else in your entire life?" Mina challenged.

"Ok so until I was like ten I wanted to be a vet, but what kid didn't?"

Mina smiled. "My point still stands."

"Uh huh." Beca stuck out her tongue, and quick as a flash, her hand shot out, stole Mina's ice cream cone, and took a huge bite before handing it back.

Mina just sat stunned for a second before she started to laugh. "Feisty mouse does not like to lose, does she?" She went back to eating her ice cream, wishing that perhaps she could taste a little bit of Beca as well.

"Nope, not at all."

Mina finished her second ice cream cone and they all walked out into the night again. It was getting late, but Mina didn't want to go back to their hotel quite yet. Beca, it seemed, didn't want to go either. She walked a different way from the one they had come and Mina and Pieter followed behind her.

"I'll take you to my favorite park. They installed huge light in the thing to discourage crime so it's still safe even when it's dark out. When I was younger my Dad used to take me there. There's this one swing set that I swear is the best swing set in the world."

"And how do you know it's the best in the world?" Pieter asked, voice teasing.

"I just have a feeling." Beca nudged him in the side. Pieter retaliated by wrapping an arm around her shoulder and drawing her close. Beca only fought for a second before relaxing into his hold with a roll of her eyes.

Mina smiled at the pair of them walking down the mostly deserted sidewalk. Hers. They were hers.

Beca pulled out of Pieter's grasp a block later when they had to turn to get where they were going. Pieter dropped back and wrapped Mina in the same grip that Beca had just been in. She relaxed into the touch easily. There was no need to be in command right now. She could just be, and it was very, very nice. She lifted her head and kissed Pieter briefly before continuing to walk steadily on.

The little mouse led them to a rather large park. Mina could see what she meant about it being lit up. There seemed to be stadium lights everywhere, lighting up the trees and leaving very little shadow. It was almost like day in the middle of the night. And as promised Beca led them to a secluded corner of the park where there was a swing set. She jogged happily over and took a seat on one of the swings. She gestured them over.

"Come on, you aren't going to agree with me if you don't actually swing on it," Beca called.

"And what if we don't agree with you even after we've swung on it?" Mina asked, taking the seat right beside Beca. Pieter sat down on her other side and immediately kicked off. Mina rolled her eyes at him, but he just smile at her and kept on swinging.

"You will. If you can actually swing with your ridiculously long, sexy legs." Beca blushed and rolled her eyes at herself. "When does that stop exactly?"

"I hope never," Pieter said flying by them.

"Oh, of course you do." Beca kicked off and started to swing too.

Mina decided if she wasn't going to beat them she might as well join them. She pushed off and started to swing. It had been forever since she had done this, but the motion came back to her easily. She started going higher and higher and unbidden a laugh erupted from her chest. Oh, she had forgotten just how much fun this was.

Beside her Beca shouted as they passed each other. "Ha! I told you. Best swing ever. Don't think I didn't hear that laugh!"

And of course that set off Pieter laughing and soon all three of them were laughing, breathless and swinging together under the bright-dark Atlanta sky. Mina couldn't recall any time in her life that she had felt truly as happy and complete as she did at that moment. She wanted it to go on forever and ever.

But of course it had to end. Eventually their legs grew tired and they slowed down, stopping once more on the ground, swinging gently back and forth as they dug their toes back into the earth beneath them. Beca smiled up at them, hair windswept and mascara a little run from the tears that had leaked out from a combination of wind and laughter.

"Thank you," she said quietly, face more warm and open that Mina had ever seen it. "This was…it was just what I needed after this week."

"I think I can speak for Pieter when I sat that we would do this any time, mouse. Making you happy makes us happy." Mina smiled softly.

"She is right," was all the Pieter said in addition.

They sat in the quiet of the park for a while, letting the breeze wash around them, stirring the multitude of trees, wind whispering between them. Mina saw why Beca liked this park. In the middle of the city it was a quiet place. She could see the building rising high above them, but she couldn't hear any of the noise. She wondered what it was about parks like this that allowed the silence to happen.

Mina looked at her phone after a while and it was creeping towards midnight. They had spent hours together and it had felt like a blink. And she wondered how that was possible too. She looked over at Beca. Then again, perhaps it wasn't hard to believe. With Beca and Pieter, she felt as if almost anything was possible.

"Come, mouse, it is getting late. We will escort you home." She stood from her swing and offered Beca her hand. Beca took it without hesitation and pulled herself up, but then didn't let go even after she was up. Mina smiled at her and headed back the way they had come. Pieter appeared on the other side of Beca, and once more they were walking side by side through the park, and then the city.

They retraced their steps until they were back on Barden's Campus. Beca said nothing about them walking her right to the door of the Bella's house. She just smiled up at both of them. She dropped Mina's hand, but only so she could pull Mina forward into an almost awkward half hug. She tried to do the same to Pieter a second later, but Pieter wouldn't allow it. He pulled her fully into his arms for a long second before letting go.

"I'll text you guys tomorrow. I promised to take you dancing, and I totally intend to fulfill that promise. As long as there are no drinking contests. Like, you two would drink me under a table in a heartbeat even if you weren't German because you're just huge and giant and gorgeous and I'm not stupid."

Mina smirked. "I do not think that being gorgeous has any effect on our alcohol tolerance, but danke. I'll look forward to your text. We can promise that there will be no drinking contests, though this idiot might challenge a few idiotic other men." She rolled her eyes. "We do not have to be privy to that."

Beca laughed. "Ok, cool. Watching him kick some fuckboy ass might be interesting."

Pieter smirked. "Well then, perhaps something can be arranged. Your American beer is weak. I will do very well at this, I believe. Perhaps win us twenty bucks for drinks." A scheming look crossed his face.

"Oh, mouse, now you've done it." Mina hip checked him. Pieter barely swayed where he stood. She huffed. As much as she loved that he was as solid as a rock, sometimes she wished she could just move him just a little bit. Of course she would get farther than their little mouse. And that caused her to smile. "Now it's going to happen no matter what."

"It will be fine and you know it."

"I do, but still, you are an idiot."

"True, but you both claim to know me, so who is really the idiot here?"

Mina shared a glanced with Beca. They both looked fondly exasperated. "And on that note, come on you block head. Let's go get a cab back to the hotel." She grabbed his arm and towards him back towards the center of campus.

"Good night, mouse." Mina stepped off the porch.

Pieter turned back around to smile. "Sleep well."

"Thanks, good night you two." She opened the door and stepped through with one last wave goodbye.

Pieter turned to Mina and they both made their way towards the center of campus and then back to where they had gotten out of the cab at the start of their little outing. Pieter called a cab while they were walking and now all there was to do was wait.

She swallowed hard as the night went on around them. It was still quiet here in the suburbs, but not as quiet as it had been in the park, strangely. She could hear signs of other life, a dog barking, far off the sounds of music, the gentle whir of a car somewhere down the road.

"Pieter," she said, and even as quiet as it was, it was barely audible.

He was by her side in an instant. "I know," he said, just as quietly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into and tried to draw strength and there was a measure of it in his warmth.

"She's just—"

"I know." Pieter squeezed her tightly.

And Mina didn't disbelieve him for a second. He knew. And they would get their mouse. Somehow.

The cab came a few minutes later and ferried them off into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Two weeks in a row, woo, moving on up in the world.

* * *

Mina blinked her eyes open the next morning. Pieter was already out of bed and showering from the sounds of it. She sat up and yawned. She looked over at the clock. Almost eleven. Not bad considering how long she could sleep if left to her own devices. She stretched and walked around the room a bit. The mouse wouldn't text them for a while. Or at least they wouldn't be going out for a while. The day was still very, very young.

The thought made her restless, like wings were trying to tear themselves from her back. She shook herself, but the feeling did not dissipate. Mina sighed. She knew there was only one real cure for this sort of restlessness.

Quickly she threw on a set of gym clothes and opened the door to the bathroom. Pieter shut off the shower and opened the curtain, obviously surprised to see her away so early.

"I was going to give you another hour," he said.

Mina shook her head, eyes taking in Pieter's water droplet covered body. It was tempting, but the restlessness was too strong. "No, I actually woke up at a mostly decent time on my own. I'm going to the gym for a little bit."

He nodded. "It's nice. I was already down there this morning. They'll have what you need."

And there he was understanding in that easy way of his. For anyone else that, and only that would be enough, but she had come to terms a long time ago that it wasn't for her and felt no guilt. Now, she was just thankful.

"Good. I'll be back later." She grabbed key card and was out the door a second later.

Mina made her way down to the gym. She looked over the treadmills and assorted free weights. Over in the corner was a punching bag with wraps and gloves on a table nearby. She glanced between that and the treadmill, trying to figure out what would help her more today. Punching bag, she decided.

She went over and taped up her hands, slipping on a pair of gloves. She hoped these were cleaned often, but at the same time, right now she was a bit beyond caring. She dropped into a fighter's stance easily. She swallowed hard as memories of her first time being introduced to boxing surfaced. High school gym they had gone over the basics. She had loved it from the first time she'd slipped on the gloves. There was a sense of power, but also a sense of peace that came over her. When her muscles started to burn, it almost felt as if she was burning away the part of her that hurt, healing fire.

Pieter of course, during that whole lesson had goofed around the entire time. Of course he hadn't yet become the hunk of muscle he was now, so he hadn't been able to do much punching-wise and perhaps that was why he had played around so much. Now, Mina was sure he could split the seams on the bag if he really tried.

But still, even then, and even with not taking anything seriously, he had dropped the one stupid boy to the floor who had reacted badly to her pronouncement that she was bisexual. The word slut had barely made it out of his mouth before Pieter had been in front of him, punching just like they were shown in class. The other boy had scurried up and tried to get Pieter back, but then Mina was there and when she punched him, he stayed down. They had taken care of each other's bloody knuckles afterwards and really hadn't spoken of it since. But Mina knew Pieter remember just as much as she did. Perhaps that was the day that first set into motion all that was playing out now, though she suspected the true beginning was much before that.

She struck out with the first punch, lightning fast, feeling it reverberate up her arm. A little bit of her relaxed at the feeling. She took a deep breath in and then her arms flew, pulling combinations out on her imaginary opponent, throwing in some kicks and knees for good measure, just to keep her whole body moving and striking. Her mind went blank save for what she was doing. This was what she needed, always, when that restless feeling sprouted up within her. If she worked herself until she was tired, then for whatever reason it went away. Perhaps the muscles that made those figurative wings stir were just too tired to do anything more after she worked herself into near exhaustion.

Mina worked for a long time. She didn't know how much time had passed until she felt arms encircling her sweaty body, pulling her until she was pressed against a familiar body, stilling her movements.

"You've been here two hours, liebling. That is enough or you will be too tired to go out later," Pieter said, resting his chin on her head.

Mina relaxed back into him, pulling in gasping breaths. She blinked a few times, coming back out of her stupor. She could feel everything aching now. It was still the pleasant kind of ache, she hadn't quite over done it, but if Pieter hadn't come when he had she would have. He knew her so very well.

She pulled out of his grasped and started to stretch and cool down her muscles slowly. "Ok," she said simply.

"What do you want for lunch?" he asked. "There is room service in this hotel, nothing fancy, but it will do."

Mina nodded. "Something with a good amount of protein and something with electrolytes. A smoothie perhaps. I don't really care. You know what I like. And I know you're going to get a cheeseburger like you always do at these places. Get extra fries. I will want some." She grinned up at him.

"I always do, just for you."

Mina stood up from her stretches and sighed. She dropped all her used equipment into the dirty bin and walked from the room. Pieter handed her a water bottle and she drank gratefully, letting the water cool her body even more. She wiped some sweat from her face and flicked it elsewhere.

"Do you feel better?" Pieter asked as they got onto the elevator.

"I do."

He placed a hand on her back, right over where the worst of the strange feeling always was. Pieter massaged the muscles there gently. Mina sighed and leaned into the contact. Her abused muscles loved it and so did the rest of her.

"Did the mouse set it off?" He asked, hands still working as the elevator climbed to their floor.

"Probably. Not in a bad way, I think but…" she trailed off.

"You want to see her. You want to skip over all of this and get to all of us being together, but you know you can't. You feel trapped, but at the same time you feel freer than you have before."

She nodded.

He smiled at her. "I know. I feel much the same way."

"You do?" She'd never known Pieter to feel anything other than happy and confident about basically anything. He had his bad days, like everyone, and yet he easily brushed them off. Mina had asked him on multiple occasions how he did it, but he just shrugged and said something to the effect of he would rather see the good than the bad. She'd worried about that for a while, wondering if he was covering up some sort of deep sadness, but she had watched him for years, talked to him when he was more vulnerable than anyone else ever saw him, and to the best of her knowledge he was as happy as he said. For him to feel trapped in any sort of way, helpless at all, it was major.

"I do. She inspires many feelings, this mouse. She is important. And the more important the person the more feelings they inspire, good and bad. That is how I see it."

"You feel a great deal for me then."

"Yes, but you knew that, darling."

It was true, she did. They got out on their floor and walked to their room. Mina threw off her sweaty clothing in the direction of her suitcase. They would have to leave soon. Too soon. But she wouldn't think of that right now. Not when she had just straightened out her head.

"I'll be in the shower."

"I'll call for the food, then. Should be here by the time you're out," Pieter said.

"Thanks." She smiled at him, the small smile she saved just for him, and then disappeared into the bathroom.

The hot water beat on her worked muscles and felt wonderful. She washed herself slowly, enjoying the unlimited hot water. She forced herself to keep her mind blank, no matter how many times it wanted to drift towards Beca or Pieter, or both at the same time. Pieter was outside in their room. He would not leave her. She knew that with more certainty than she knew her own name sometimes. But still his feelings about Beca mirroring hers worried her. She didn't want him to feel trapped. She didn't want him to feel any negative emotion at all, no matter how unrealistic that was. And the same thing went for the little mouse. That was why they were here, after all, to help her feel better.

Mina rinsed the soap out of her hair and reached for the conditioner. How in the world she was supposed to balance feeling so much was beyond her. But then there was Pieter's voice in her head telling her that she would figure it all out as she always did. She smiled just slightly at that as she smoothed conditioner onto the ends of her hair and up.

A thought struck her hard. She wondered what Beca's hair would feel like between her fingers. She could see kissing the girl hard and her hands just involuntarily slipping into wavy locks. Whenever she kissed Pieter seriously, her hands always wandered. She was a very tactile person sometimes. She bet Beca's hair would be soft in ways that Pieter's never would. He kept good care of himself, of course, but his hair was just too curly to ever really be soft.

She wondered what kissing someone without the first hints of stubble would feel like. And yet, she knew what that felt like. She had kissed enough women to know, but she knew that it would be different with Beca. That it would feel different somehow, even if it wasn't in theory.

Mina swallowed, mouth dry. She was heading into dangerous territory. Because if she allowed herself to think about kissing Beca, she would inevitably think about more. She had iron control for everything but those people she loved.

She blinked. Loved. She looked at the world from all different angles in her mind, picking up the hotel washcloth and spreading soap over it, scrubbing the sweat and grime from her skin. She knew she loved Pieter, but there was a history there, they had built something over the years. Everyone would believe that they loved each other. It just made sense. But Beca…she had met the girl twice, three times now in person, talked to her for a month on text and phone calls and the occasional skype call with Pieter. She knew things about her, sure, but she wanted to know more. There wasn't a history there, not really, people would call her foolish for calling it love this early.

And yet she knew that she felt the same way for Beca as she did for Pieter. And the love she held for both of them, it somehow made everything shared between them more, the love bigger, stronger. She wanted to protect them with all that she had, wanted to live with them the rest of her life, she felt warm and safe in their presence, and she would give everything she had for both of them to be happy even if it meant sacrificing her own. If that wasn't love, she didn't know what was. And everyone else in the world who would look down on her for it could take a flying leap.

She washed off the last of the soap from her skin and got out of the shower. Mina dried off partially and peeked out the bathroom door.

"Food here?" She asked.

Pieter gestured to the cart in the middle of the room. "Yeah." He lifted the lid off of one of the plates to reveal an omelet filled with mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and feta with wheat toast. Off to the side was a large bowl of fruit and a glass of orange juice.

"I figured breakfast for lunch would suit."

Mina smiled. "Yeah, that's great. Hold on just a second." She wrapped her hair in the towel and slipped on one of the hotel's robes and then walked out into the room. She flopped down on the bed and Pieter wheeled the cart over and sat down side her.

She started to eat, hungrier than she realized, now that she smelled food. They ate in silence for a while before Mina leaned her head on Pieter's shoulder for just a second. "Thank you."

"Always, darling."

She closed her eyes and sighed. Always.

"Did you check up on DSM while I was down at the gym?" She asked, getting back to business.

"Of course, they are doing fine. They are in Washington now. Magnus gave them the morning off but they are having practice this afternoon going over the new set for the performance and setting more of the choreo for Worlds."

Mina nodded. "Good, I'm glad he's sticking with the plan."

"He's a good leader. If either of us ever decide to leave he is the clear candidate. There is a reason you left him in charge."

Yes, that was true. She knew Magnus would get the job done. He always did in his dependable way. He wasn't the most outside the box thinker, but he was smart enough and stubborn and that made up for any other shortcomings. His leading style was different, more approachable, somewhere between Mina and Pieter. He could replace the both of them if need be.

Mina thought about that. Leaving DSM. Would she want to do that? She would, for the right incentive. But that would have to be rather large. Especially since Pieter was in DSM. He would have to be leaving too really for it to be worthwhile. She needed her heart to balance out her head.

She thought about it some more. Would she leave for Beca? She looked over at Pieter. Yes, they both would, if they thought that this would really work. But there would have to be some serious talks before that. Everyone needed to be happy with their decision, or at least accepting of them. Compromise was going to have to be a thing, if there were three of them in the relationship. She bit the inside of her lip. She wasn't very good at compromise, but she thought perhaps she could learn for them.

"Yes, I suppose there is," Mina said finally, munching on her last bit of toast.

They finished up their meal together and put the room service cart out in the hall. Mina pulled out her laptop and started to work on some emails for DSM. Sponsors always wanted to know what was going on, if they were on track to winning worlds again, when they would be able to do their next add or what not, if they were open to performing here or there, any multitude of things. She found the emails tedious, but they served their purpose. She lived well because of the money they provided on top of the money from their music and their gigs. Mina talked over a few with Pieter, accepting a few performances scheduled after worlds, ones that weren't dependent on their win. She was confident, but not foolish. The Bellas were a trainwreck, but from knowing their little mouse and watching them perform both in person and online she knew they had skill and they had underdog appeal, even if they were American. They should not put all their eggs in a basket just yet.

Mina sucked her lip into her mouth. The same could be said about the tiny mouse as well, but Mina didn't quite care. It was as Pieter said, they would figure it out along the way and everything would be fine. At least she hoped. And if it seemed like she did more of that lately, then so be it.


	8. Chapter 8

Around dinner time Mina's phone buzzed. She picked it up and opened the message without really looking. She looked down and saw a picture of Beca and all her friends crowded around a dinner table in what looked to be their house, the table piled with all sorts of food. It looked a bit like when DSM had dinner all together, but it seemed somehow…cozier, more like a family. She wondered how they all were so close. Then again, there were fewer of them and they weren't professional, so perhaps that was how.

The most significant thing was that their mouse was smiling wide, and it was truly reaching her eyes. She looked better than she had at the start of yesterday. Perhaps they had truly helped her. Mina's heart swelled and she smiled too.

"The girls say hi, or well, they mostly say we're going to kick your ass, but that's almost like hi, right?" the caption of the picture said.

"That's a very strange way to say hi, mouse, but tell them I say hello as well. You may translate that however you wish to them. But you are still too small to be the kicker of ass."

Beca sent back a message quickly. ":p, hush I am fun sized."

Oh, Mina bet she was just the right size for fun. Mina could pick her up and have her way with the little mouse easily. Pieter would have an even easier time. Her body heated as she imagined both scenarios playing out. My, she needed to get her head away from the gutter or else she might overheat.

She pulled in a sharp breath and shook herself. Mina shut her laptop and set her phone aside for just a second.

"The little mouse?" Pieter asked without looking, lounging on one of the chairs in the room, his own laptop open, watching videos on YouTube for inspiration for dance routines.

"Yes."

He picked up his phone and looked at it before looking at her. "She's having a good time."

"Yes, she is. It's nice to see."

Pieter nodded. "They also have a good idea about dinner. It is about that time. Are you hungry?"

Mina thought about it for a second. "I could eat. And it would definitely be better if we are going to be drinking later."

Pieter smirked. "Whatever happened to the Kommissar's legendary alcohol tolerance?"

"I still have that, but I'm not an idiot." She rolled her eyes. "You know that."

"Of course I do."

Mina snorted and stood from the bed, stretching out her muscles one by one. She wasn't sore from her morning workout, but she could feel the tiredness pulling at her muscles, telling her that she had worked them earlier, but nothing detrimental. She smiled to herself and shuffled over to her bag.

"But I don't want room service again. See what you can find that's good and close. I still need to have time to get ready for tonight." She would knock the shoes right off of Beca's feet if she played it right.

Pieter rolled his eyes now. "How long does it take to get ready, honestly. You have enough nice clothes, you put them on, and you go."

"You aren't googling anything that I can see." She'd had this argument with Pieter before, him impatient to go somewhere only for Mina to hold them back for a few minutes so she made sure she looked good. "And besides, I don't think you will complain about the amount of time it took when you see me, darling." She dropped her voice into her lower octaves and saw Pieter shiver just the slightest bit. Oh, he'd seen her when she got ready to go out, but she thought this would be even more than he was used to. If he was rendered speechless too…well that would be a perk of the situation.

Pieter grumbled and turned around. He typed something in google an started reading out the options. "There's a diner down the block, an Indian place in the opposite direction, a place that apparently deals exclusively in wings and mac'n'cheese, a fried chicken place a little bit away from that, comfort food, a Chinese place, next block over there's a burger joint, fancy looking French place, Italian place, more fried chicken, pizza place, sandwich shop, café, Russian place, and an ice cream shop."

"What's the highest rated thing that isn't the French place? I'm not in the mood for French."

"The place that only serves wings and mac'n'cheese. Apparently everything they serve is to die for."

Mina rolled her eyes. And that was what she got for trusting the internet. She grabbed the outfit she wanted from her suitcase and walked back over to the bed. She grabbed up her phone and opened it to Beca's messages.

"Speaking of dinner, Pieter and I are looking for a place to go. Do you have any recommendations for places near us? The internet is proving unhelpful. I'm not exactly in the mood for wings and mac'n'cheese."

Mina set her phone aside and changed quickly. It actually felt quite good to be out of a robe. She felt a bit more like a real person again. By the time she was done fixing her hair in a high ponytail her phone buzzed.

"Oh, there's this little tiny place near you, it serves a really weird assortment of global food, and it's never on internet recommendations, but it's like one of the best places in town and it's cheap too. It's called Eighty Days. I'll send you the address in just a second." Just as Mina finished reading Beca's first message a second popped up with the promised address and a "Let me know how you like it."

"I will, mouse, thank you for the suggestion. Have fun with your friends."

"I will. Text you later about going out, ja?"

"Ja, sounds good."

She looked up at Pieter. "The little mouse has saved us from wings and assorted cheese covered pasta."

Pieter smiled. "I knew she was useful for something. Where is she sending us?"

"A restaurant with an selection of food from across the world. It sounds interesting anyway. We might as well check it out. Perhaps we might even find something German."

Pieter groaned and collapsed back into the chair. "Don't even tempt me. I am missing food from home like a man in the desert misses water."

"Yes, I understand, I feel the same way. I would cook us some, if we stayed places with kitchens, or stayed anywhere longer than two days, but." She shrugged.

"I know." He popped up from his chair. "Let's go check it out then. Though I do hope that this place is better than that taco place." He scrunched his nose.

Mina laughed. "She also said that we were probably going to hate that place, as fair warning."

Pieter titled his head, agreeing as he pulled on his shoes and grabbed his wallet and the key card for the room. Mina typed in the address into google maps and pulled up the walking option. Ten minutes' walk. Not too bad.

They both exited the room and started for the elevator.

"I would honestly just take a nice beer at this point," Pieter said as they walked on.

"That would be nice, yes. Perhaps we should try one of the local craft breweries in one of the towns we visit. We might find something more decent than what we have been."

"Or not. Americans wouldn't know good beer if it hit them over the head."

Mina nudged Pieter. "Oh now you really are being a German beer snob."

"And you aren't?" Pieter asked, eyes twinkling just the slightest bit

"Not as bad as you." She poked him in the chest. "And are you still taking that bet with the mouse seriously even though she's not here? You aren't getting all the idioms wrong like normal."

"Of course I am. It's good practice to not mess them up, even when the mouse is here."

"Her bet was only one day. You've gone more than a day now." They walked off the elevator together.

"I'm not stopping until she says I've won." He looked away from her. "I really do want to win in this case. I want to win. And I want impress her. If that impressing came with a kiss...well I wouldn't mind, as long as she is ready."

Mina laughed once. "Both of us have it bad, don't we?"

"Yes, I think we do."

They walked in silence for a bit, Mina's phone guiding them to where they needed to be. The place was unimpressive from the outside, but there was a delicious aroma coming from the place, so Mina was willing to at least go in. Pieter held the door open for her and Mina walked in to be hit by even more smells. Her stomach growled loudly.

Her head snapped up as she heard someone shout in German towards the back. "It's not right, so fix it please. People don't come here for subpar food."

She blinked. It was a little weird hearing her native language outside of DSM. She'd been in the US far too long, she knew, if that was how she thought, but it was.

The man who had yelled appeared from the back and smiled at them. He switched to mildly accented English. "How many today?"

"Two," Pieter said, smiling at the man, not switching from German.

The man's eyes widened and he smiled even wider. He tilted his head and looked at them both. "Munich or Berlin."

"Munich," they both said at the same time.

"Hamburg. Come this way, I have a table over in the corner." He led them through the small restaurant. "What brings you to the states?"

"We're on tour with our musical group," Mina said.

"Anyone I might have heard of?"

"Das Sound Machine," Pieter answered before Mina could say anything.

"Oh yeah, some of my younger cousins back home love you guys. Not my thing, but I've heard you're good."

"I would hope so. We are hoping to reclaim our world champion title in a few months," Mina said as the man stopped at a table. She took the seat towards the wall and sank down.

"How long have you been in the states?" The man asked. "My name is Garrit. Excuse me for not introducing myself earlier. I don't get many people here from home so it is always nice."

"We've been here about four months now," Mina answered.

"My, missing home yet?"

"Yes, the food and beer mostly, though this Atlanta weather is much too hot for my liking. It is like a steam bath." Pieter scrunched his nose.

Garrit laughed. "Oh, I know. It takes some getting used to. I'm afraid when I go home to visit I'm going to think what I used to consider nice will feel like it's horribly cold. My brothers will most assuredly make fun of me." He shook his head. "Block heads. But the food and beer, I can help you with." He pulled two menus from seemingly nowhere. "The menu is separated by country of origin of the dish and there is of course a German section."

Pieter smiled. "Thank god. It is not Taco Bell for sure."

Garrit laughed. "Oh, tried that little gem of American culture, have you?"

"One of our friends introduced us last night. I think Pieter was traumatized."

Pieter nodded. "Yes, I was. It was terrible. I don't even think it was meat. I think it was sadness spread on nachos and marketed to the masses."

"I believe that you are right." Garrit nodded and took out an order pad. "Would you like anything to drink? I do have some Schwarzbier in the back."

Both of them nodded immediately and Garrit smiled. "I thought so. I'll be right back." He disappeared into the back once more.

Pieter looked up at Mina with a little smile on his face. "What do you want to bet that the tiny mouse knew that there was German food here and that's exactly why she sent us to this place?"

"I think she knew that quite well. How she knew we were missing it, that's the real question." Mina looked at the food. Lord above, schnitzel. It was so cliché as far as German food went, and yet it sounded so good. She really had missed food from home. She gasped just slightly. Rouladen with mashed potatoes. She was sold. Mina set down her menu and smiled softly. Their little mouse was so thoughtful if warmed her through.

"What are you getting?" Mina asked Pieter.

"The Mecklenburger Rippenbraten with the Kartoffelklöße."

Mina groaned. "I'm totally stealing a bite from yours."

Pieter smirked. "Duh, and I'm stealing from yours too. It wouldn't be a meal for the two of us without some sort of food theft."

Mina titled her head at that. It was true. "Fair."

Garrit reappeared a second later holding two tall glasses of dark beer. He set them down in front of them and pulled out his order pad. "Had enough time to decide what you want."

They both nodded and ordered. Garrit smiled at the both of them. "No one does potatoes quite like Germany does potatoes, huh?"

"God no. Americans just don't understand. Everything is slathered in butter. It is like that Paula Dean woman has over taken them all," Pieter said.

Garitt laughed as Mina snorted. "Oh, I would be careful about Paula Dean in Georgia. She's from here and they get a little defensive."

Pieter waved him off. "No one has to know."

"You're secret is safe with me." Garrit nodded at them and went to help some other customers who had just walked in.

Mina reached out and took a sip of her beer, humming as the chocolatey flavor hit her tongue. God, good beer. She felt like a man who had finally walked out of the desert.

Pieter hummed his approval and set his glass down. "I feel like I want to make love to this beer."

"Pieter." Mina sent him an unamused glance.

"What? It's not like you weren't thinking it." He shrugged.

"No, I wasn't thinking it. I was thinking it was very good beer and that I felt like a man who finally got water after being in the desert, but I was definitely _not_ thinking about fucking a glass of beer. I don't even know how that would work." Her face scrunched up. "I don't actually want to think about it."

Pieter started to laugh. "Oh, you should have seen your face. It was priceless."

"Never again, Pieter, never again."

Pieter laughed harder. "I make no promises."

Mina shook her head. "Block head," she said, but her tone wasn't cutting, if anything it was affectionate. Oh what this idiot had done to her.

Mina just picked up her glass and took another sip. She wished that she could just buy a huge bottle of this and take it to whatever club Beca was going to take them to. It would surely be better than anything they had there. American clubs. She sighed. At least mixed drinks were always an option. If there was anything that Americans did well, it was mixed drinks. Nothing else, but she supposed they had to have something.

Mina picked up her phone. She turned it on and hit the camera button and pointed it at Pieter. She snapped a picture of him just as he was taking a drink. The picture ended up making him look ridiculous. She smiled and sent it to Beca a second later before Pieter even realized what was going on. That was what he got for talking about fucking beer. Who even did that? Oh right, the man she was romantically attached to, of course.

Her phone vibrated a second later. "Oh so you guys found the beer then?" Beca asked. Another second later, "That's a good look for him. I think he should do it more often. I'd like to laugh at him more."

Mina giggled, honest to god giggled. She sat up straighter, hoping that no one had noticed that such an undignified noise had come out of her mouth. Of course Pieter was across the table just fucking grinning at her. She huffed and looked down at her phone. Fine. At least she had photographic proof that he was an idiot. No one could prove that she had giggled.

"I'd like that as well. Thank you for directing us to a place with real food and drink, mouse. We are both enjoying it very much."

She set her phone aside again.

"What did the little mouse send that had you giggling? I haven't heard you make that sound since middle school."

Mina glared at him again. "Middle school never happened. How many times must I tell you this? And wouldn't you like to know." She smirked at that.

Pieter's hand was across the table and snatching up her phone before Mina could do anything about it. Damn it. When had he gotten such fast reflexes? She made no moves to take it back though. There was nothing to hide, though he was totally going to take a questionable picture of her later in retaliation and share it with Beca. She would live.

"Ah, I see you got my good side," Pieter snarked. "But since every side is my good side that is not hard."

Mina snorted. "Yes, of course."

"And I'll make either of you laugh at any time. It's beautiful when you laugh." His voice softened and he squeezed Mina's hand as he returned her phone to the side of the table.

Mina looked up at him, green eyes clear and sincere. She chewed on her lip for just a second before she smiled, just a little quirk of her lips. "Thank you." Her eyes dropped to the table. "With your ridiculousness around it's very hard not to laugh at least sometimes."

"Of course, I am the funniest there ever was."

Mina shook her head. "Don't push it."

"What? I am." He smiled ridiculously, leaning back and putting both thumbs up.

"Honestly, why do I put up with you?" Mina tried to keep a straight face but she ended up laughing quietly anyway.

"Because I _can_ make you laugh."

"Fair enough."

Garrit showed up with their food a second later. Mina sat back as he placed the plates in front of them. The smell wafted up from the food and hit her full in the face and oh god, she was in food heaven. It smelled exactly like it should. Her mother would be jealous of how well it was done, really.

Garrit smiled at the both of them. "I would say enjoy, but from your faces, I think you already are. Let me know if you need anything else."

He slipped away and Mina was almost diving for her silverware. Pieter across the table was doing the exact same thing and Mina almost laughed at the rapturous look on his face, but she figured that she was wearing much the same expression, so she probably shouldn't throw stones while in a glass house. She cut off a piece of her roulade and brought it up to her mouth.

"Oh my good god," Mina said around a mouthful of food.

Pieter just nodded across the table and kept chewing. Tears pricked at the sides of Mina's eyes. She was used to being away from home. They'd had tours in Europe before a great many times, but the US and Europe were two completely different entities. Being here made her more homesick than she'd probably ever been. And really, it hadn't hit her until she started to eat here.

She blinked a couple times and swallowed her fist bite. The burn of tears subsided after a second and she went back to eating slowly.

A minute later Pieter reached out and speared the bite she was about to take and ate it with a shitting eating grin on his face. "That is good."

Mina scowled and reached across the table and scooped up one of Pieter's klöbe. She brought it back to her own plate before cutting it into a smaller bite and eating it. She hummed again. God, it was so good. She reached out again and got some of his short ribs too. And that was good as well.

"Everything here is wonderful," she said, going back to her own food.

"It is." Pieter smiled wider than a child in a candy store.

"I can't tell if it's making me more homesick or less," Mina said as she kept eating.

"A little of both," Pieter said, continuing to hork down large bites. His table manners had deteriorated the longer they had known each other. There was no real use trying to correct him now. "It will still be a while before we are home, and so that hurts, but at the same time, the little reminder of home is nice."

Mina nodded. Yes, that summed it up nicely. He did have a way with words when he wasn't being completely ridiculous.

They ate, chatting quietly until all their food was gone. It was the most time they had spent truly alone in a while. Beca it seemed, had gotten them to go on a date without really even trying. She was good for them without trying. And that was just what they needed. Mina smiled as Garrit showed up and cleared their plates. Now if only they were truly together.

"Dessert for either of you?" Garrit asked.

Pieter looked at Mina who nodded. Might as well while they were out.

"I make a mean black forest cake."

Mina's eyes widened. Her favorite. And Pieter knew it because he nodded. "We'll split a piece."

"Alright, I'll be right out with that." Garrit walked away again and Mina tried not to squirm a bit in her seat.

"Excited, are we?" Pieter teased.

Mina threw her bunched up napkin at him. "Oh shut up, like you weren't like that walking into this restaurant."

He shrugged. "And so I was. There's no shame in being excited about good food."

"Then why the teasing?" Mina arched an eyebrow.

"Because you would think something was wrong with me if I didn't take an opportunity to do so."

Mina tilted her head to the side, acknowledging the point. "Yes, fine. You big oaf."

He smiled. "Yes, but I'm your big oaf."

"That too."

Garrit came back to their table and set down a rather large slice of cake. Mina was definitely glad that Pieter had told him that they would split the piece. He presented them with two forks.

"Enjoy."

Mina took her fork and smiled up at him. "Thank you."

She dove in and took the first bite before Pieter could move, smiling at him as she chewed. He reached over the table and wiped at her lips gently. Mina froze for just a second as he pulled back his hand, a smear of whip cream on his fingers.

"Normally I am the messy eater, but you and cake don't get along with the cleanliness." He licked the whip cream off his finger.

"Oh hush, you eat like a pig most times. So I am very enthused about cake." She blushed a bit but held Pieter's gaze.

"It is cute." Pieter took his own bite of cake and hummed. "This is very good, though, it is a good thing to be enthused about."

Mina huffed and kept eating, chocolate and cherries coating her tongue. "Good."

They finished off their meal and paid. Beca was right it was very cheap for as much food as they had gotten. They said their goodbyes to Garrit, promising that if they were back in the area they would definitely come again before walking off towards their hotel.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm on the trying to update regularly struggle bus. I'm sorry, but here's the first part of their club going and I hope you like it.

* * *

They got back and Mina shuffled through all of her clothing, frowning. What in the world was she going to wear? She had brought a great amount of clothing with her, predicting this problem would happen. She would ask Pieter, but that would lead to just staring and him shrugging and telling her that she looked good in everything, which while it was sweet, wasn't helpful at all. Did she want to go with something daring or did she got with something more conservative? She wanted to impress Beca but she did not want to make her uncomfortable.

But then again Beca had already seen her in leather and mesh and basically nothing more than a bra. What was really worse than that? She huffed and looked at the three choices she had narrowed it down to. Leather pants again, which club dancing would be very uncomfortable after a while but would make her look great, but also came with the downside that Beca had seen her in them before and a plain black crop top. Then there was a halter dress that was very low cut that bared a great bit of her back as well. Paired with heels and both Pieter and Beca wouldn't be able to pick their mouths off the ground, definitely the most daring out of all three choices. And then there was a second dress, a little more conservative that fell to mid-thigh, it was still low cut and would show off everything but it didn't show off her back. Everything that she had would show off her arms and both dresses were tight enough to show off her ass. The crop top wasn't low cut so it wouldn't show off her breasts.

She frowned and threw the leather pants and crop top back in the direction of her suitcase. No cleavage and leather pants that she had been seen in already made the choice easier at least. Now, to be daring or not. She chewed on the inside of her lip.

"Pieter, daring or not?" Mina asked, not looking up from the bed.

Pieter looked up from the desk again and towards the bed. "You will look good in anything, you know that."

"I am aware, but I am not asking you what I will look good on me, I'm asking you daring or not. You can answer a simple question, yes?"

Pieter rolled his eyes and her dramatic tendencies but looked closer. "Daring will get the mouse's attention but anything you wear will get the mouse's attention. What do you want her to remember tonight? The dress or the good time we have? Because if this goes to plan then you will have many more changes to wear something daring for the mouse."

Mina nodded and picked up the more conservative dress, but that was relative considering it was still very much a club dress. She slipped it on and walked forward. Pieter nodded.

"I do love that dress on you." He reached up and traced the neckline.

"More like you love what it does to my cleavage, but yes, I am also fond of it." She smoothed her hands over it and smiled.

"Do that thing with your hair where it's in a high ponytail with the little pieces by your face. I think it will look nice."

"Up dos for a club work well. I will do that then." She leaned down and kissed him lightly before walking into the bathroom. She did her hair quickly, slicking it up into the high pony tail, blonde hair reflecting the light easily. Next came the makeup, dark and smoky and bright red lipstick.

Mina stepped back when she was done and smiled at her appearance. She looked very, very good.

"Ok, Pieter, spend the five minutes you need to get ready, darling. I'm done and I'll call the mouse to let her know we are good to go whenever." She walked out of the bathroom and smiled as Pieter stopped dead and looked up at her.

"I will never get used that," he said after a long second. "You are extremely beautiful normally, but with the makeup and all you are just…wow."

"Thank you, Pieter. I would kiss you again, but that would smudge my lipstick before we even got out the door." She smiled. "Now go get ready." Mina brushed past him and grabbed up her cell phone and took a picture of herself, smirking, and sent it to Beca.

"We are ready whenever you are, mouse," she typed out.

Less than a minute later she had her reply. "Holy. Jesus. You are. Like we aren't even out yet, don't kill me just yet, dude."

"Oh come now, mouse, this isn't that much different from my normal stage makeup, perhaps a bit smokier, but not much."

"Lies and blasphemy. But I'm slipping on my heels now. I'll text you the address of the club when I grab a cab. It will take you guys like five minutes to get there, but it will take me like twenty or so."

"Ok, Beca, we will meet you there then. I look forward to it."

"Me too. Wait outside for me. I have an in with the bouncer so we don't have to pay cover fee. Saves five bucks so why not."

"We shall then."

She sat down carefully on the bed after she got her things ready to go. As normal Pieter would be her source of pockets on a night out. It was nice to always have pockets even while looking great. Boyfriends were very useful in more than one way.

Pieter came out of the bathroom five minutes later as expected, looking refreshed, hair tamed a bit more than normal, nice jeans on and a tight black t-shirt. Mina resisted the urge to lick her lips. Why in the world just a bit of touch up made him look twice as good as normal, she would never really know.

"I think both of us are very ready for a trip to the club." Mina smiled and stood up, walking over to him and kissing him just barely before pulling away. She hadn't left any lipstick prints behind, so she was sure all her hard work was not ruined.

The mouse texted them a minute later with the address of the club. Mina texted back a smile and a see you there and went over to her heels. She slipped them on and walked over to Pieter again, not almost the exact same height as he was. She smiled at him.

"Now you cannot say get on my level, because I already am," she said.

"You were before, but now I suppose physically yes." Pieter poked her in the sides and Mina couldn't help but squeal just a little bit.

"You are never supposed to do that." She slapped his hands away.

"But it is so fun."

"I will end you." She glared up at him. She hated being ticklish, but yet here she was. It did not go along with the Kommissar image.

"Oh I am still so scared of you." Pieter fake cowered away from her.

"Don't push it or I will make you do more pushups when we get back to practice."

He shrugged. "I could use the arm workout. You don't get guns like these without a little work." He flexed and the t-shirt stretched taught.

Mina's heard fluttered just a little bit. Jesus. "Yes, well, I will make you regret that statement. We both know I can."

Pieter moved closer to her, hovering just the scantiest inch away. "Yes, but I also know you can make that suffering very pleasurable."

Mina lost her breath for just a second. She reached out and slapped at his chest. "Hush, I will not make your suffering pleasurable. That would make it the opposite of suffering."

Pieter laughed at stepped away. "True, true."

Not that Mina wasn't thinking about doing just that now, but she wouldn't let him know that. She shook herself and pulled herself together once more. She couldn't be this flustered when she still had a mouse to tease.

Pieter grabbed up his stuff and put it in his pockets. He held out his hands for Mina's things as well which she gladly handed over and it disappeared into large pockets.

"Ready to go?" she asked him as he patted everything to make sure it was there and secure.

"Yes."

"Good, it won't take long for us to get there, but the mouse has already left. I want to beat her there."

Pieter rolled his eyes. "Of course you do." But he headed for the door without any more prompting.

She followed him out into the hall. "What, and you don't want to be waiting there for her?"

"Fair, but also have you considering getting there after her and walking up to her and seeing her reaction?"

"We will see her reaction no matter what, Pieter. She would wait for us outside the club anyway. She knows some bouncer or something to get us in for free. It's not like we could just show up on either side of her and order our drinks, smirking at her like something out of a Bond movie."

"Aw, but that would be so very fun."

Mina snorted. "You do have the jawline for a Bond villain."

"You have the accent for one."

"And you don't? We are both German."

"True, but yours comes off as more posh. Mine sounds more cartoon-y." He shrugged and stepped onto the elevator. "You sound as if you are about to implement a plan for world domination."

"When it comes to a cappella, I am." She smirked.

"True, true. I suppose in some movie somewhere we already are the villains."

"Who would make a movie about a cappella?" Mina scoffed as the elevator stopped on the ground floor.

"Someone awesome, of course. We are the best kind of people in the world."

Mina laughed. "I do not know about that, but at least we are the best."

"I think the mouse would disagree, at least about us being the best a cappella group."

They walked out into the cool Atlanta night. Mina shivered just a bit and she was glad that she hadn't gone with the more revealing dress.

"True, but it will make the competition much more fun. We would not have had any real competition without them in the running and that just isn't a good time, now is it?" She smirked and started to walk down the street just a bit faster, heels clicking dangerously.

"No, no it is not." Pieter said, catching up.

"We will be victorious," Mina sang under her breath, laughing.

Pieter nudged her. "Now, now what is it that you tell the others about singing old sets after we are done using them?"

"Not to focus on the past only the present." She stuck out her tongue. "It was one line and I was making a joke. I think it is acceptable in this case."

"No, no, you do not allow for exceptions, remember?"

"Ugh, Pieter, do not use my own rules against me when DSM is across the country." She slapped his arm lightly.

He just laughed. "Oh, but you threatened me with pushups earlier. It's only fair."

"Fine, I will not make you do pushups if you stop reciting my own rules at me. I do have them for a reason, you know."

He wrapped his arm around her waist as they kept walking. "I know, but teasing you is just so much fun."

"You're incorrigible."

"That I am. And it's why we're here, isn't it?"

She leaned into him, appreciating the warmth he lent to the walk. "Yes, yes, I suppose it is."

They walked to the club was short just as Beca said. They stopped outside, using a low wall as a bit of wind break while they waited. Mina stuck close to Pieter, wishing she had brought at least a jacket, but of course she had been vain and hadn't wanted anything to ruin her look. At least it wasn't cold enough to get frostbite. She thought anyway.

Both of them perked up the second that Beca's cab came into view. They walked out further onto the sidewalk. Pieter opened Beca's door for her like a gentleman and Mina just stood back and smiled as the little mouse paid the man and got out. She swallowed hard when she saw what Beca was wearing.

Where Mina had gone for a little more conservative, Beca had not. The dress was short, short enough Mina was sure that Beca could not bend over without showing off a lot more skin than she wanted. And lord above it was tight, so very tight. Mina felt like she could see everything even if it was covered. The front of the dress was low cut, greatly as Mina's was and there were other cut outs, showing off some of Beca's toned abdomen.

"Shit," Mina whispered quietly.

Beside her once again Pieter hummed his agreement. The cab drove off and Beca just stood their staring at the two of them, mouth open. And Mina had to swallow again as she actually took in Beca's face and not just her body. Her makeup was darker than usual, lips shiny and pink and looked so wonderful Mina was finding it hard not just walk up and kiss her. Her hair was in a low, messy bun, tendrils of hair escaping and framing her face delicately. She looked like she was both about to go out to a club and capture everyone's attention and cuddle with some over large teddy bear.

"Mouse," Mina finally managed to say, snapping all of them out of their trances.

"Hi," Beca said, waving a bit awkwardly. "You guys look…there aren't even words for how good you guys look."

Mina grinned. "I would say the same of you, but there are words for how I think you look, stunning, beautiful, lovely, any iteration of something like that."

"Good enough to eat," Pieter chimed in.

Mina reached out and slapped his arm even though she wholeheartedly agreed. "Ignore this one, he still has food on the brain. I think the little place you sent us to got him stuck."

Beca laughed. "You liked it?"

"More than liked it, mouse, it was wonderful. It was just what we were missing about home." Pieter smiled. "And the beer was also wonderful. Which I will probably not be able to say about this club, but at least I have had one good beer today so perhaps might not complain quite as much."

Beca stepped forward, still so much shorter than the both of them in what had to be five inch heels. She poked Pieter in the chest. "German beer snob. Not that I don't get it, but still."

"So you've said basically." Mina smiled down at her.

Beca shivered. "Come on, let's go in. In a second we're going to wish we were cold, but hey, alcohol will make us care less." She walked towards the door, skipping the small line entirely and approaching the bouncer.

"Hey, Marco, what's up?"

"Oh hey, kid, you here for a set?" The bouncer asked, unfolding his arms and smiling just the barest bit. If it was possible he was even more muscled than Pieter was. Mina had to admit she was a bit impressed, even if it was a little too much for her tastes.

"Nah, I'm just out with a couple of friends." Beca gestured behind herself at Mina and Pieter. "Anyway we can get in tonight?"

"Of course, you're the best DJ we get around here. Play a set soon, would you?"

Beca smiled. "I have one in a couple of weeks. The extra cash is always nice, but I don't need it as much anymore. I'm an official paid intern and everything now." She rolled her eyes. "Because burrito fetching is totally music mixing."

Marco clapped her on the shoulder. "You'll get there, kid, you're good." He unhooked the rope and let them into the club. "Have a nice night."

"You too." Beca looked behind her at Mina and Pieter and motioned for them to come along before disappearing into the club.

They walked in to a space where the music was loud enough the Mina felt in moving through her chest, the baseline thumping along with her heart. She closed her eyes and breathed it in, the smell of alcohol, music, and a bit of desperation. All clubs smelled like this to her. But the feel of music was always overrode anything else. Music was what she was lived for after all.

She opened her eyes to find Beca coming out of her own little trance. Pieter just watched them both with a soft smile on his face.

"Ok, drinks?" Beca asked.

They both nodded and followed Beca as she led them to a modern looking bar with enough alcohol on the shelves to kill something, or a great many somethings, really.

"My advice, go for something that doesn't have a ton of alcohol in it normally, because this place sort of has a heavy hand. It's great for if you want to get wasted for less money, but like, if you aren't expecting it, you sort of end up on the floor a little bit."

Mina leaned down and whispered in Beca's ear. "Speaking from personal experience, mouse?"

Beca turned just a bit so her face was brushing Mina's. "Maybe. I ordered a long island iced tea freshman year. Usually one of those and I'm drunk but not bad. Here, I may have been a bit more than drunk."

"So you are a light weight."

"You saw me drink at the riff off! I'm not a total lightweight. Do you even know how much alcohol is in a long island iced tea? Hell, literally all it is, _is_ alcohol."

Pieter laughed. "Maybe, little mouse, maybe. But in a little bit we will see just how much alcohol it takes to get me anywhere near tipsy and then you will reevaluate if you are a light weight or not."

Mina huffed. "Of course you would remember that stupid conversation about the drinking contest."

"Of course I do. I do not have a memory of a goldfish." Pieter laughed as the bar tender came over to them.

Beca order a rum and coke, Mina wasn't even about to try the beer after having an almost perfect one earlier and so she got a daiquiri, and Pieter of course, went for the beer. If he was going to drink anyone under the table he needed to stick to the lower percentages of alcohol even if he did have a fairly high tolerance.

Mina looked at him. "You have the memory of the goldfish when you want to. 'Oh, no Mina, I don't remember you saying anything about that chore that I hate doing, I'm so sorry,'" she mocked.

He looked a little guilty, but he still wore a grin.

"What, cleaning the bathroom?" Beca asked.

"Dishes," Mina and Pieter said at the same time.

"Oh, ok, same, but like, I just pull laundry duty instead. Easiest chore ever."

Mina snorted. "He cannot do laundry. He shrinks things or he turns things odd colors, though I have instructed him in the proper way to do things multiple times. He is a block head."

He stuck his tongue out at her. "It is not my fault that there are so many confusing buttons and rules about what you can do with clothing and what you can't."

"Pieter, for the five hundredth time it's all on the tags on the shirts. You read eight different languages, surely you can figure one of them out enough to actually wash things right, but no."

Beca laughed between them as the bartender placed their drinks in front of them. She grabbed her drink and settled in to watch the continuing spat.

"I do not think those symbols are words, do you, Mina?" He raised a haughty eyebrow and took a sip of his beer and shrugged. Apparently it wasn't completely horrible.

"No, those symbols aren't words, but they are designed so even block heads like you can understand them." Mina glared at him.

"Sure they are, I do not believe you."

Mina rubbed at her temples. How in the world did she end up with this man again? But then he was stepping closer to her and kissing her temple and she was relaxing into him and that was probably why. But still she glared at him as she took a rather large swallow from her drink. She needed alcohol to deal with this conversation.

She turned to Beca. "And that is why he never does laundry. Do you see?"

Beca nodded. "Oh, I definitely see. So the German Gods have flaws. Amazing," she teased.

"I make up for it with other charms." Pieter grinned.

"I've yet to see any of these charms," Mina said, muttering under her breath, but even in the rather loud club, Beca heard and snorted.

Pieter, however, did not. "Whatever she just said, it was not nice, was it?" He faked a pout.

"No, it wasn't." Mina looked at him with a satisfied smile. "I thought you were going to get in a drinking contest. I see no evidence of this. You are here complaining about my teasing. Have you got an eye on anyone?"

Pieter nodded. "Of course I do." He motioned over at the group of obnoxiously loud frat boys who had just walked in and sat down a few stools from them.

"And how are you even going to get them to agree?" Beca asked, sipping her drink, already a bit of a flush starting to stain her face. Mina had to agree, they did make the drinks very, very strong here. All she could really taste in her drink was rum, forget the lime or anything else.

"Oh, I have my ways. Watch." He walked over to the group and got their attention.

"Prepare for a monumental train wreck," Mina told Beca, looking on, ready to come to his aid if anything went awry.

"Yup, I was sort of thinking that too. If he starts a bar fight Marcus is gonna be pissed no matter how good I am as a DJ."

"It shouldn't get that far, Pieter is good at deflecting, but it might be the most awkward thing we watch all night."

"Yo, tiny American men."

Beca closed her eyes and appeared to start praying. Mina was with her in that sentiment.

The frat boys looked at Pieter, a few of them standing up, still a couple inches shorter, but with around the same muscle mass. It would be a pretty even match, Mina thought.

"I bet my friends over there that I could drink more than any American. Are you down?" Pieter asked, cocky smirk on his face. He gestured back at Mina and Beca. Mina rolled her eyes and looked like she was disgusted with the whole idea and Beca just shook her head.

The boys all looked at each other for half a second, a couple looking like they couldn't even believe someone had challenged them, and the rest already stupidly determined to win.

"You're on," the boy who seemed to be the leader said, crossing his arms. He looked over at Mina and Beca, eyes appraising. "Loser pays for the winners drinks and if we win, we get to dance with your little friends."

Mina groaned. If they had been going to lose before, they were going to be pulverized into dust. Pieter let Mina do whatever she wanted, with prior consent of course, but the second someone treated her like a piece of meat just worth a fuck and nothing more…well he got very, very protective and almost possessive. And if she knew him, he must feel the same way about their little mouse, too. It was double jeopardy for the frat boys, really.

"Make it that if you lose you pay for my friends and I's drinks for the rest of the night as well, and you have a deal," Pieter said, all joking gone from his manner.

They all signaled to the bartender again.

Mina turned to Beca. "It will be a while. Do you want to dance in the mean time?"

Beca nodded and tossed the rest of her drink back. "Yeah, I think I'm sufficiently buzzed for that at the moment."

Mina followed suit and set her empty glass on the counter. "Yes, you were right, they do make the drinks very strong here."

"Told you." She hopped up from the stool.

Mina looked over at Pieter and tilted her head towards the dancefloor. He nodded and gave a thumbs up. She paused for just a second before mouthing 'good luck.' He smiled back at her and lifted his beer bottle. Idiot. She shook her head and followed Beca into the crowd.


	10. Chapter 10

Beca led them to the middle of the dancefloor, a great mass of gyrating bodies around them. Mina could feel the music even more here, it practically was moving her. She sighed and started to sway unconsciously. In front of her Beca closed her eyes again, head bobbing in time with the music for a few seconds before she opened them again and started to dance. Mina swallowed. It was like nothing she'd seen the Bellas do. It was purely club dancing, and lord above if it didn't turn Mina on.

Beca looked up at Mina and grinned. She her eyes wandered Mina's mostly still body and she cocked an eyebrow to ask why she wasn't dancing. Mina snapped out of it and started to actually dance. The music wasn't bad, not exactly her cup of tea, but then again most club music wasn't, but it was easy to dance to and that's what mattered. She got a grin and Beca licked her lips as she watched Mina dance.

"Like what you see, mouse?" Mina teased, continuing to dance. She felt the warmth of the alcohol hitting her system, loosening her up just a tad bit. She would need much, much more before she was truly anywhere near tipsy, but this would do for dancing. She wanted to remember everything about tonight.

"Um, yeah, maybe I do. I mean, you always look great dancing."

Mina smirked. "Glad to hear it." She leaned forward so Beca could actually hear her instead of just reading her lips and guessing. "I didn't always look this good dancing. In fact, there was a time when I was quiet horrible at it. Amazing what college can teach you, ja?"

"I don't believe you," Beca breathed in Mina's ear. "There was no way that you were ever bad at anything. You're too perfect."

Mina chuckled, deep and low, shaking her body in a much different way than the bass pounded through her. "Oh, but you don't have to believe it. It is fact. Facts exist outside of the need for belief. Ask Pieter, he will tell you the same thing."

She pulled back and started to really dance again. The song switched to something she actually knew from home. She looked up at the DJ as German lyrics started to pound through the speakers. Eclectic for Americans anyway. The man standing at the booth had a self-satisfied smirk on his face as a few people in the crowd had questioning looks on their faces even as they kept dancing. Ah, so he was one of _those_ music people. Mina looked away from him and rolled her eyes.

Beca was smiling though. "This was really popular when I was on exchange," she said, even as her words were taken away by the pounding of the music. Mina was infinitely glad she had learned how to read lips ages ago or communicating in this club would be harder.

Mina reached out and grabbed Beca's hand, acting on a whim and hoping that it didn't come back to bite her later. She spun Beca around and pulled the other woman's back against her front. She froze for just a second but Beca kept dancing, not pulling away or really even indicating that she had noticed the change in their positions.

Their hips were a little too off to make it completely seamless, but the way they fit together was perfect nonetheless. She leaned down again to speak to the little mouse.

"I was also fond of this song that summer. Pieter can still sing all the words. He was the one who drug me out every time DSM had a day off and inevitably this was always playing."

Mina glanced over and spotted Pieter downing a beer with a bland look on his face, like it was nothing at all. She snorted. Idiot.

"He likes to dance?" Beca asked.

"He likes to have fun. Clubs are just the easiest thing to find in every town we visit. At home he drags me to a great many more things, concerts, beer tastings, wine tastings, different and new restaurants, out to hike, sightseeing, whatever he thinks will be interesting. He can plan dates very, very well. I will give him that if nothing else."

Beca laughed and Mina could feel it since they were so close. "I have a feeling he would be wounded if he heard that."

"Oh, probably, but when he gets back to us, nothing will really wound him for as long as the buzz lasts."

Beca looked over at Pieter now and nodded. The song they were dancing to ended, but Beca didn't pull away. As the song switched seamlessly into the next she just stayed right where Mina had put her. Mina relaxed just a little bit and started to dance a little more freely, hoping that the loud music hid her breath hitching every now and again from the way her body was moving against Beca's. It was more intoxicating than the drinks really, but in a different, more mind melting way.

And so the songs passed with ease. No one approached them. Mina was surprised at that, but also very pleased. She wanted no one to intrude on this moment she was having with Beca. She watched from her place on the dancefloor as the pile of beer bottles around Pieter grew at a fairly alarming rate. She counted carefully even as she swayed. He had about another five in him before he was completely on the floor and unable to move. But from the looks of his competition, gripping onto the bar just to keep on their seats, he wasn't going to have to go that far. Pieter was still going to be very, very drunk though. She wondered if the little mouse was ready for that. He was definitely the overly affectionate type of drunk.

Beca turned around a couple songs later and wrapped her arms around Mina's neck, still keeping close, but slowing down her dancing as the song changed to something a bit slower than the previous songs, but not exactly a slow dance either.

"Sorry, need to catch my breath a bit." She smiled up at Mina, cheeks flushed a bit and eyes just a tad glassy from the alcohol.

"It is definitely ok." Mina wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss Beca, but she didn't allow herself. It was too much too fast and she knew it. She just had to appreciate the fact that she was so close to the other woman and save everything else for later.

"Great. After this song do you want to get another drink? I'm getting a bit thirsty too. It's hot in here."

Oh, that it was, but not for true temperature reasons. "Yes, mouse, that sounds like a good idea."

They danced slowly as the song played on and as another, faster song started to fade in through the music Beca pulled away. Mina tried not to feel a little zing of pain at the other woman pulling away, but it was rather impossible. But then Beca grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd back to the original bar stools that they'd sat on coming into the club that had just opened up once more.

Mina flagged down the bartender and just as she was opening her mouth to request another round of drinks, Pieter appeared by their side, a huge triumphant grin on his face.

"Free drinks for the rest of the night!" He exclaimed loudly in German, slurring a bit. Mina was sure he wouldn't be able to manage English right now if he tried. Or maybe he would mash up three or four other languages with it. He was just not going to be coherent no matter what.

Mina looked over to see the men he'd been drinking with all almost on the floor. It seemed that Beca's friend the bouncer was going to get a workout tonight carrying them out of the club, because she didn't think they would be making it on their own power any time soon.

"Yes, thank you for that, but you will be having no more tonight," Mina replied, plucking his last beer from his hands and taking a sip. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything like what they'd had earlier.

"They will know now not to try and out drink a German." Pieter puffed out his chest.

Mina had the urge to poke him and see if he would fall over but she refrained. "You're still an idiot." She turned back to the bartender and switched to English. "A rum and coke for her and another daiquiri for me. And can you make sure this idiot behind me doesn't drink anything but soda or water for the rest of the night?" Beca snorted beside her and Mina looked down at her and shrugged to say 'It's in everyone's best interest.'

The man nodded. "No problem."

"Thank you."

She looked behind her again to see Pieter scowling, concentrating, obviously trying to figure out what she'd just said to the bartender, but the alcohol was obviously making that a very complicated task.

"What did you say to him? It was something about me. I heard the word idiot."

Mina smirked. "I'm glad you still know your own name."

Pieter rolled his eyes and then had to grab Beca's shoulder to steady himself. Oh yes, he was definitely drunk.

"You'll be lucky to remember any of tonight," Mina told him.

"I will remember all of it. I am…fine-ish."

"Ish? I think not fine is a better assessment," Beca chimed in. "You look more wasted than a frat boy at a party. Then again that's not really a stretch since you were drinking with frat boys a second ago."

"Maybe I am not fine, but you most definitely are, little mouse." He grinned.

And of course the idiot didn't lose any of his charm when he was drunk. If anything he somehow got better. Figured. Mina got more sarcastic and he became even more of a flirt. Always the opposite of each other, fitting together almost seamlessly.

Beca blushed. "You're drunk."

"And you do not think I would not say this if I was completely sober? Because I may have consumed a great amount of alcohol, but I still remember saying things of such a nature before."

Beca splutter more and turned just as the bartender was setting down their fresh round of drinks. She took a healthy gulp of her drink and coughed a bit. Mina reached out and rubbed Beca's back, trying to keep to the areas that were covered in fabric, but since there was relatively little of the dress she was finding it hard. And Beca had such soft skin. She swallowed but kept it up until Beca finally recovered.

"Sorry, breathed some of that in. Alcohol and lungs totally don't mix."

Mina chuckled. "I didn't think they did." She gave Beca's back one last pat and withdrew. She lifted Pieter's beer to her mouth and finished it off in a few drinks, hoping that the alcohol would soothe her a bit. This was simultaneously one of the best nights of her life and one of the worst. It was that first deadly taste of poison, sweet and better than anything she had before and it would kill her if she didn't slowly build immunity. For that to happen Beca would have to stay. And Mina still didn't know if that would happen.

Behind them Pieter was starting to dance in place, totally feeling it now that he was inebriated. Mina had no illusions that they were going to be drug out to the dancefloor again soon enough when Pieter lost patience with waiting for them to finish their drinks. Mina sipped her strong daiquiri and just looked at him with laughter in her eyes. Her giant idiot.

Mina looked at Beca who was also watching Pieter with amusement. Their eyes met and both of them snorted at the same time. Mina's eyes started to water. She had accidentally gotten alcohol up her nose while drinking. She grabbed for a napkin and dabbed at her face, catching the few drops that had leaked out. Her cheeks flamed red. Why in the world had she done something so embarrassing?

Beca laughed harder. "Oh my god, did you just squirt alcohol out of your nose?"

Mina blinked back a few tears. She had worked far too long on her eyeliner and mascara to have it ruined. "I may have," she said, still trying to get everything under control.

"Oh my god, the perfect goddess actually did something awkward and nerdy. I can't believe I lived to see it. Oh my god, it was so cute." Beca slumped against her and Mina froze for half a second before wrapping her arm around Beca's shoulders. Beca continued to laugh and Pieter joined in of course. Mina cheeks turned even redder if it was possible, but Beca was pressed against her, and so all wasn't lost.

Beca finally managed to stop laughing, wiping gently at her eyes with one of the bar napkins. "Sorry, but that was just great. I'll probably do something equally as embarrassing soon enough and you totally have a free pass to laugh as much as you want."

Mina pulled her closer. "I might just take you up on that."

"I definitely will," Pieter said.

Beca reached out and nudged him. "Hey, the offer wasn't for you drunk boy. You didn't just get laughed at. Though if you manage to fall on your face just know that I'm totally going to laugh."

"I will not fall down. I'm not _that_ drunk. Remember, tiny mouse, I am German. It takes more than a few beers to have us stumbling."

Beca looked back at where the pile of beer bottles had been a few minutes before. "Few beers, right. You know you do need a liver for later in life right?"

"It's a resilient organ."

"Uh huh, whatever you want to believe."

Mina snorted and sipped at her daiquiri, this time managing to keep from doing anything embarrassing.

Pieter pouted just a bit, expression looking ridiculous on a huge man, but he didn't say anything else.

They finished their next drinks and Pieter had them on the dancefloor the second they set down their empty glasses. Beca sent Mina a look that screamed 'help' and Mina just laughed, letting herself be drug along. They ended up in the middle of the dancefloor once more and Pieter got right to dancing. Mina bit her lip for a second. Dancing with two people was easy. The logistics of two bodies pressed up against each other worked without a hitch. Three people was a bit more difficult.

But then Pieter was pulling Mina back against him and she grabbed Beca and suddenly she found herself in the most interesting type of sandwich. Pieter's hips met hers easily, grinding on her ass in that practiced manner he had after all these years. Mina felt her body responding almost immediately. Her and Beca's hips were off, too much of a height difference to really work out evenly, but it seemed like Beca didn't mind. She pressed back against Mina, in turn pressing Mina back more into Pieter, who stood his ground easily. Mina didn't need to look to know he was grinning from ear to ear. She rolled her eyes, but let herself get lost in the music. She was with the two people she wanted to be with most in the world and she would enjoy it.

Songs past. Mina could feel the alcohol really hitting her system now. She wasn't quite tipsy just yet, but she did have a nice buzz going on. Beca in front of her was most definitely feeling it as well. Her movements were looser, a little bit clumsier, but Mina didn't mind. Drunk Beca was very, very cute.

Then Pieter was pushing her just slightly forward, grabbing Beca and dragging her back against him and the height different was almost hilarious. Mina took the place that Beca had just vacated, and if she thought she had liked grinding on Beca, Beca grinding on her was even better. Beca's hands came to rest on her hips and more songs past. Mina couldn't recall the last time she'd truly had this good of a time at a club and she didn't want it to end. But she could feel the night aging around them. Soon it would be time to go. Soon their little weekend would be over.

Beca leaned up and whispered in Mina's ear. "Let's put the giraffe in the middle of this ridiculous sandwich, yes?"

Mina laughed. "Oh yes." She twisted off and quickly appeared behind Pieter. If the man was surprised by what was happening, he didn't show it. He just went along with it after a questioning eyebrow, never missing a beat. Mina pressed into him, wrapping herself as close as she could get to him. She rested her head in the indent between his shoulder blades, inhaling the scent of his light cologne, a bit of beer, and a hint of sweat. He smelled like home really. She wanted him, but also she wanted the little mouse and wondered if she could have sex with Pieter without knowing for sure that Beca was truly off limits. Not now, not after a weekend like this.

The lights came up and the music faded and Beca groaned from the front of the line. "Last call, shit, I didn't know that that much time had passed. It's gonna be a bitch to get a cab now." She broke off their little dance line.

Mina stepped out from behind Pieter, keeping one hand on his back. "Come back to our hotel room then. The couch pulls out into a bed and you won't have to worry about hailing a cab this late."

Pieter nodded. "And I would feel better if you weren't traveling alone this late either, not when you are still slightly inebriated."

"Says the drunkest one of us." She stuck out her tongue. "Seriously, it'll be ok, I just have to fight a bunch of people for a cab. You guys can see me off in one and I can make it home on my own after that."

Mina frowned. "Really, it is no inconvenience for us for you to stay the night." She bit her lip. "And if you stay over tonight we could order room service tomorrow for breakfast before this oaf and I have to get on a plane cross-country."

"Are you sure you guys can't just ditch the whole a cappella thing and stay here? This weekend has been great. Like, I basically forgot that Jesse and I broke up. I sort of forgot who Jesse was, really. I'm not sure anyone else would have been able to get me to that point." She looked away, blush already on her cheeks from the alcohol intensifying.

Mina leaned down and cupped Beca's cheek in her head. "Oh, but then where would the fun in worlds be?"

"I mean, winning is always fun," Beca deadpanned.

"But it means even more when you overcome very steep odds, yes?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I suppose. Come on you two perfect idiots. Let's get out of here. If you guys expect me to get up for breakfast tomorrow we're going to need to get to that couch literally as soon as possible. I'm not a morning person."

Pieter groaned. "Oh great, two of you. What have I gotten myself into."

Beca looked up at him horrified. "What are you saying, that you're a morning person?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be? Humans are mostly a diurnal species."

"God no. It's inhuman to be up before noon."

Pieter looked back at Mina. "You've found your soulmate it seems."

Beca glanced from Pieter to Mina. "Wait, actually, if I was going to peg one of you as the morning person it would totally be you."

Mina shook her head. "Oh no, I like to maintain all appearances that I am a morning person to DSM, but I'm very far from a morning person. I agree with your statement that anything before noon is rather unpleasant."

"I honestly did not see that coming. Full of surprises, the two of you are."

They stepped out into the night air and Mina felt a little of the buzz that she'd had in the club fade in the face of cool air. She took a deep breath, sighing when it didn't quite feel right. She missed how the air at home tasted. She didn't know that such little things would matter when she had started to travel, but they did.

They made their way to the hotel and Mina was glad to see that Pieter seemed much more there as they walked. He was by no means sober, but the worst of his buzz had passed. He had probably worked a great deal of it off when they were dancing. He would probably grab something from the minibar to eat, down a glass of water, and be no worse for the wear in the morning. Which was good for him considering they were flying tomorrow.

He reached out and took Mina's hand as they were walking, and then a second later reached out with his free hand and took Beca's. Beca didn't even act surprised. She just went along with it as they continued forward.

The hotel was quiet, the only other one up was the desk clerk and they made their way to the elevator and then up to their room. Pieter slipped into the bathroom first, leaving Mina and Beca alone in the room proper. Together they pulled out the sofa bed and made it efficiently, not exchanging any words, just working together easily, somehow knowing what the other wanted before they could ever ask for it. When they were done Mina dug around in her bag, grabbed out a t-shirt and one of her pair of compression shorts and held them up to Beca.

"Pjs?"

"Oh, that's awesome, thanks." She took the clothing from Mina with a smile. "I hadn't even thought of that. Or a toothbrush. Fuck."

"Good thing we are in a hotel then who will provide such things if asked." Mina picked up the phone, dialed the desk, and a toothbrush was on the way up a second later.

"Thanks." Beca looked down at her dress. "It's totally going to look like I'm doing the walk of shame tomorrow."

Mina frowned. "I never really understood that expression. Why would it be the walk of shame? You had sex, which is usually, though not always an enjoyable experience, why would that have anything shameful associated with it?"

"Because society is fucked up with its double standards." Beca shrugged.

Pieter came out a second later, only in his boxers as normal when ready for bed. Beca stopped what she was doing and swallowed visibly, eyes tracing Pieter's abs hungrily. Mina definitely was with her there. His abs were one of her favorite things, even better when they trembled under her touch. She wondered if they would do the same thing for Beca. She licked her lips.

A second later Beca snapped out of it. "Uh, right, no staring at perfection because that could get awkward real quick, right. Um, gonna go change." She darted into the bathroom.

Pieter smirked after her, switching to French. "My, my, the little mouse look very, very thirsty just now."

Mina hummed her agreement but said nothing more. She just changed into her own pjs quickly as Pieter grabbed his snack from the minibar and munched away on some pretzels. She sat down on their bed and sighed, wanting to rub her face, but knowing that would be a bad idea before she took off her makeup.

Beca came out of the bathroom, face cleaned of makeup, hair brushed out of its club style and pulled back in a low ponytail. Mina's breath caught in her throat. Oh, she hadn't seen the mouse like this, looking so young and so very real. She was beautiful.

The mouse flopped on the couch bed and groaned. "I like going out, but the next morning always sucks."

"Did you drink some water so you won't be hungover tomorrow?" Mina asked.

Pieter held out the bag of pretzels. "These always help, too."

"Yeah, I drank water. A couple glasses while I was in there. I'll be good to go. I just meant like wakeup call time. Again. I love sleep more than I should, dudes, you don't understand."

Mina laughed. "Oh, I think I have an idea. And least you do not have to deal with airport security tomorrow."

Beca frowned. "No, I suppose not, but…Sucks you guys have to leave."

Pieter nodded. "Yes, but Worlds is in a few months at least. This won't be the last time we see each other face to face."

"Yeah, that's good at least. Months suck though. Are you on the west coast for the rest of the tour?"

Mina nodded. "Yes, we have another month left of venues out west and then we have two months back in Germany to get ready for worlds. After that…who knows. Depends on if we win or not. We have a great amount of sponsors which will only go up if we win worlds again which will mean more commitments. Right now we've left everything open rather on purpose. After our last win we took two weeks off and then we were on the road for over a year with commitments." She sighed, remembering that year. It had been rewarding in a way, but so very, very exhausting. If they won again it would only be longer this time, she was sure. The last time the tour had been all she wanted. She had Pieter by her side and a string of potential flings. It had been everything she could want. But now.

Mina looked at Beca and knew that traveling around Europe would not be what she wanted this time. Not when her mouse would be back in the United States making her way in the music industry. DSM and Pieter had been everything that she had wanted for so long, but…Mina had this feeling that if she needed to, she would leave DSM behind in a second if Beca was interested in her and Pieter. And it might be the biggest mistake of her life, poly relationships rarely lasted beyond three years, but perhaps there was a bigger mistake in choosing the opposite, to stay as she always had been.

"That has to be a bit stressful, not knowing what you're doing. You seem like someone who likes to plan."

Pieter snorted as Mina nodded. "Oh, for things like that, yes, mouse, definitely yes. For others, not so much. It very much depends on what we're talking about."

"So you like to plan out your life in some things but not in others? How does that even work?"

"There are some things that I believe need to be spontaneous." She looked over at Pieter for a long second before looking back at Beca. "You can't plan to fall in love. You can't even really plan to have a fling. It would take all the fun out of it, all the adventure. But more serious things, like moving in together, the logistics of where to live, how much to pay in rent, what I want to be doing career-wise, the details of DSMs plans, those I like to plan out well in advance so there can be no mistakes, no miscommunication, no snags in an otherwise smoothly moving machine."

"I suppose that makes sense."

Mina nodded. "Yes." She yawned. "Excuse me for a minute. I need to go remove my makeup and then I think dramatically collapsing into bed might be in order."

"And she calls me the drama queen," Pieter said.

Mina rolled her eyes and got up. She removed her makeup quickly once she was in the bathroom with quick, practiced strokes. She had done this a thousand times in the past few years. She wondered if now she could actually do it asleep. She brushed her teeth and finished up the rest of her nightly ablutions before exiting back out into the room.

She stopped to take in the scene that greeted her. Beca was sitting in the middle of her and Pieter's bed, giggling as he tickled her. It was such a heartwarming sight Mina thought it was wonder she didn't actually melt.

"Stop! This was not what you promised!" Beca gasped out between breaths.

Mina knew exactly what was going on and how Pieter had actually gotten Beca over to their bed. "Let me guess, you stretched and groaned and he offered to massage out any kinks you had before bed?"

"Yes, help me!"

Mina smirked at Pieter, dangerous glint in her eyes. "Oh, gladly for all the times he's done the exact same thing to me." She fell onto the bed and tackled him away from Beca, going straight for the backs of his knees where he was the most ticklish. He tried to press his legs back into the mattress, but Mina was too fast and soon he was laughing in that loud guffawing manner he had. Beca was behind her in a second, adding to the assault, tickling Pieter's feet.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Pieter finally gasped out after a minute. "I can take no more."

Mina sat back, smug smile on her face. "Have you truly learned your lesson?"

He nodded. "Yes, I can't go against two of you at once."

Mina snorted and shook her head. "Liar, you always say you've learned your lesson and yet this still happens."

Beca sat right next to Mina, pressing her side into Mina's. Mina smiled widely and leaned into the contact slightly. "I guess we'll just have to keep him in line then, won't we."

She looked over at the other woman for a second before nodding. "I guess we will."

The next second she found herself on her back, staring at Beca beside her still with Pieter propped up on his elbow grinning. He reached out and pulled the covers up over all of them before switching off the lights.

"Beca, do you get the feeling we've been played?" Mina asked, still looking in the other woman's direction even though she couldn't see her.

"I smell a rat," Beca agreed.

"Are you sure you don't smell yourself, little mouse?" Pieter asked.

She felt the bed shake as Beca hit Pieter lightly. "Rats and mice aren't the same thing. They're two completely different genus of animals."

"So the mouse paid attention in biology." Pieter laughed.

"Yes, I did. You were probably the idiot who goofed off in class, weren't you?"

"Yes, he was," Mina said before he could object. "And yet he always got high marks. He's a smart idiot."

Beca snorted. "And so he is considering somehow we're both here."

"What, cuddling is nice?" Pieter shrugged, moving the bed a bit. "So I came up with a very clever plan to make it a reality."

"Not clever at all," Mina said, but she settled back into the bed anyway.

The covers ruffled just a bit. "But if you do not want to, mouse, do not feel pressured to." Pieter's voice was quiet, soothing, the same tone he used when he needed to calm Mina down.

Beca sighed and settled in. "It's cool. This bed is huge and probably a hell of a lot more comfortable than the sofa bed. And you two probably make excellent hearts. That's all that I need. Just don't blame me if I don't want to get up even more tomorrow.

"I feel this as well, mouse," Mina said, sleep already pulling at her eyelids, making them so very heavy. She shifted onto her side and curled up just a bit, legs brushing Beca's. The other woman didn't pull away and so Mina just left them there.

"Well, I suppose I will be the responsible, awake one for all of us," Pieter said.

"Ugh, dude, how the hell can you do that after drinking that fucking much. Not human, I tell you."

Mina laughed. "He's the only cyborg on the team, but don't let anyone in on the secret."

"I knew it!" Beca exclaimed sleepily.

"Good night you two," Pieter said, settling back into bed himself.

Mina felt as his hand settled lightly on Beca's hip, drawing himself just a bit closer to her. Beca just hummed and mumbled goodnight and from the evenness of her breathing, was asleep a few seconds later.

"Goodnight, giraffe." Mina's eyes finally closed.

"Goodnight cat."

And that was it. They all fell asleep together as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Mina couldn't remember ever sleeping better.


	11. Chapter 11

She woke up the next morning, sun streaming in the window, warm under the covers with a small body pressed up against her, their limbs tangled together. She breathed in and smelled something vaguely floral and fresh, apple blossom perhaps, maybe cherry blossom, she couldn't quite tell in her hazy state. It certainly wasn't Pieter beside her, but it wasn't a stranger either. Her body wasn't tense. As much as she liked her one night stands, the ones where she accidentally stayed over had her waking up stiffer than a board.

"Morning," Pieter said, voice still gravelly from sleep.

Mina blinked open her eyes to see Pieter hovering above her a smile on his face. His hand came to rest on a mound of brown curls that was resting on Mina's chest. "You woke up, I'm surprised."

"How did you even know I was awake?" Mina asked.

"Your breathing changed. You do this thing, your breath catches twice right before you start to wake up. It's rather cute."

Mina frowned but didn't say anything to refute his claim. "I see. I slept well, that's why I woke up. No need to be surprised."

"Mhm, sure." Pieter's hand started to gently stroke through Beca's hair.

And everything from the night before came crashing back as she realized who was on top of her, still sleeping soundly. They had all fallen asleep together effortlessly. And now Beca was so wrapped up in her it was hard to tell where she ended and the little mouse began. And none of this made her want to run. It had the opposite effect. She wanted to stay here for the next eternity and then some.

"What do you think she would like for breakfast?" Pieter asked.

"Coffee, lots of coffee, and then something sweet, French toast or pancakes, either will do. And I would ask for extra syrup."

Pieter smiled. "She could be a health nut, you never know." They held each other's gaze for a second before laughing. "Ok, ok, I will order room service then. You want one of your usuals?"

Mina thought for a minute. "Eggs benedict, I'm in a rich mood today."

Pieter nodded. "Will do."

He moved out of her line of sight and over to the phone, picking up the phone and dialing down to the kitchen. He ordered for them quickly and set the phone down once more. He sat on the other side of the bed and Mina turned her head towards him.

"Do you think we should wake her up now or wait until there is coffee readily available?" Again they looked at each other for a second before responding together.

"Wait until there's coffee."

Mina's own hand came up and started to stroke through Beca's hair. She could feel how soft it was under the remnants of hairspray from the night before. She wanted to feel it when it was freshly washed. She wanted to feel it after a long, hard day. She wanted this as often as she could get it.

Mina took a deep breath. "Pieter," she said quietly. "I…I need this more than ever now."

He nodded. "So do I." He looked at Beca, snoring so very quietly now. "I think she might too, but maybe she hasn't quite put it all together yet. But she's getting there."

"Do you really think this will work?"

Pieter thought for a long time before nodding once more. "I think I'm more sure than ever now."

Mina breathed out, all the air inside her wanting to get out at once, she was so relieved. "Good. Good."

"Yes. It is."

A knock came at the door and their room service was there. Pieter pushed himself up from the bed and answered the door, wheeling the food cart in and setting everything up with quick efficiency. He poured a cup of coffee and came over to Mina's side of the bed. He set the cup down on the nightstand and sat on the small sliver of bed that was left beside her.

Mina looked up at him and smiled as both of them started to shake their little mouse awake.

"Beca, darling, it's time to get up," Mina said in Beca's ear.

Beca groaned and buried her face deeper into Mina's chest.

"We have coffee," Pieter added.

"Mrm, you have my attention." Beca's hand snaked from the covers and flopped around for a second before Pieter carefully set the mug into it. The small woman sat up a second later, breathed in the scent of coffee for a few seconds before slugging back a good bit of it in one gulp.

Mina was slightly impressed, not only was it black coffee, but it had to be rather hot. Beca just hummed and almost wrapped herself around the mug as she sipped the rest of the cup slowly. She glanced over at Pieter who was watching Beca with much the same expression she was, a bit of a question on his face, but mostly just a soft look and a small smile. To know their little mouse wasn't a morning person and to see it were completely different things. To see was much more intimate.

Beca straightened up as soon as the cup was empty. "Ok, I'm a person now. What's for breakfast? It smells wonderful."

Mina wanted to kiss the woman so badly in that instant she almost leaned forward, but she caught herself. That wasn't her right yet. Perhaps soon, but not yet.

"Pieter ordered you pancakes I believe." Mina nudged Pieter in the butt and he got the message and got up. Mina extricated herself from the covers and stood as well.

Beca smiled. "Great! Pancakes are my favorite."

Mina glanced back at her as she started moving around the covers on the food, looking for her own breakfast. "Somehow I thought so, little mouse. What mouse doesn't like something sweet?"

"Oh yeah, well if you're the cat where's your milk, and what the hell do giraffes even eat?" Beca stuck out her tongue for just a second.

"They are herbivores. Mostly they eat leaves from trees. That's why their necks are so long," Pieter said, taking Beca's mug and refilling it.

Beca took back the cup gratefully with a smile. "Well, I don't exactly see a salad there for you, big boy."

Pieter's nose scrunched just a bit. "I like salads well enough, but not for breakfast. I got corned beef hash."

Beca let out a disgusted noise. "You can totally have that."

Pieter nodded. "Good, I wanted it."

Mina shook her head, finally finding her own breakfast. She grabbed it and returned to her place on the bed, fork and a glass of orange juice in her other hand. Pieter held out Beca's plate towards her. Beca looked around for a place to set her coffee before scooting over slightly and setting it on the other nightstand and taking her plate along with the container of syrup and smiling.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, darling." Pieter sat down on the end of the bed by the cart, turning so her could see both Mina and Beca but still could set his drink down easily.

Beca drenched her pancakes in a ridiculous amount of syrup and started eating. "God, this is really good. I think pancakes always taste better after clubbing, though."

Mina hummed and gestured down at her own plate. "No, the kitchen here is actually quite decent. My eggs are good as well."

Beca looked over at her plate. "Is that eggs benedict?" she asked.

"It is."

"Oh, so that's what it looks like. I've never actually had it before."

Mina paused only for a second before she sliced off a bite and held out her fork to Beca. "Try it then. It is good. I admit, I am very, very fond of hollandaise sauce."

Beca took the fork from her and popped the bite in her mouth. She chewed for a second before smiling and handing Mina back her fork. "God, that is good."

Mina tried not to think too hard about the fact that Beca's mouth had been wrapped around her fork not a second before as she went back to eating. "I know, right?"

"I will just be over here, enjoying my corned beef hash. It is marvelous as well." Pieter smiled and stuffed a big bite in his mouth.

"I would throw a pillow if there wasn't a food cart behind you," Beca said, rolling her eyes. "I'm beginning to think that whole android, cyborg, whatever theory about you is right."

Mina looked over and laughed at Beca. "You're taking his love of corned beef as evidence for that?"

"Duh, it's unnatural."

Mina laughed. "Not that I don't agree, but I think your logic might be a bit flawed."

Beca shrugged. "It's before noon give me a break."

They ate the rest of their meal talking between bites of food. It was so very natural and easy. Mina could see mornings like this after nights of passion, after just regular nights all cuddled up together, sleeping, mornings one after the other for years to come. She met Pieter's eyes as Beca reached out and stole Pieter's orange juice right out from under his nose, and she could see the same thought in his mind. This was right, this was easy, this was theirs.

But like all mornings it had to come to an end. Beca set aside her plate and sighed. "Ugh, I really don't want to get back into that dress. It took like five minutes of contorting to get it on."

Mina looked at the clothes Beca was wearing. She had enough pairs of compression shorts to fill a boat and even more DSM t-shirts. "Then don't, wear my things back to Barden. I don't need them."

Beca shook her head. "I couldn't do that. I mean they are yours and everything. I don't want to take your clothes."

"I'm giving them to you, you aren't taking them, and if it really bothers you, it just gives you incentive to see us again, yes?" Mina cocked an eyebrow.

Beca looked between her and Pieter for a long second. "I'd do that without any incentive."

Mina breathed in and sighed almost silently. Hearing those words had soothed something within her. "I am glad. But the point still stands."

"Ok, I suppose I can wear them home. I'm gonna get razzed like hell for the DSM shirt, but like, you guys do have a nice logo, so."

"Yes, we do. I put a lot of effort into picking it from the mound of potential designs we had." Pieter puffed out his chest.

"Don't get too big a head, there, giraffe. Your neck won't support it." Beca stood up from the bed. "I'm going to go wash up though before I call a cab."

Mina nodded. "Sounds good, mouse." She watched as Beca strode across the room and shut herself in the bathroom. Mina turned to Pieter with a small smile. "She called you giraffe."

Pieter looked towards the bathroom door. "And so she did."

She knew it wasn't a big thing, a nickname was just a silly thing, really. But somehow it meant more to her, it was a sign that Beca was truly becoming a part of their little group, even in a small way. Giraffe had tumbled off her tounge as if she had been calling Pieter that for years. No, it wasn't much, but for the first time she thought she could truly see the hope that Pieter did, and that was more than enough.

When Pieter turned back towards her she knew he was surprised by the large, brilliant smile on her face. She smiled a great deal in his presence of course, but those smiles were smaller, a bit more reserved, or else elicited by something idiotic that Pieter had done or said. Such large smiles happened rarely without cause, but today, after this morning, this wonderful morning, she could hold nothing back as she normally did and she didn't mind.

"My god," Pieter whispered so quietly he did even seem to realize he was talking, "when you smile like that I remember every single moment I fell in love with you just a little bit more."

Mina reached forward and cupped his face, still smiling. Her hand held still for just a moment, prickled by the first morning bit of stubble, before moving up and tracing the little line between his eyebrows. "I know what you mean. Everytime you concentrate and that little line appears here I see the face you wore to defend me every time I needed it, I see the expression you wear when you concetrate on saying the right words to comfort me, I see years of DSM practices, I see a great many things all in one look." She pulled her hand back as she heard the water shut off in the bathroom. "I imagine the same thing will happen every time the little mouse-"

"Blushes," Pieter completed for her.

She nodded. "Yes. For you too then?"

"You have to admit she does quite a lot of that in our presence and it is so very cute."

Mina laughed and stood up. She had to get ready for the day ahead. It would be long, but she was sure, spirit bolstered as it was, that she would make it through easily.

She had just pulled out her outfit for the day when Beca came out again, face washed, hair brushed and around her shoulders, looking ready for the day. "Uh, hope you dont mind but I stole some of your mousse. My hair wasn't going to cooperate otherwise."

Mina thought that was a lie, she would have looked beautiful anyhow, but she waved it off. "What's mine is yours, mouse, truly."

Pieter nodded his agreement and finally got up from the bed and started to pack up his final things. "What the wise Kommissar says goes for me too." He mock saluted before going about his business and Mina tolled her eyes. Despite how joking it had been, she knew the offer was serious, and looking at Beca she did too, but she didn't quite know what to say.

"Right, glad you and your second in command won't string me up then," she joked instead.

Mina sauntered past Beca into the bathroom. "Perhaps Pieter is my right hand man, but you are my left hand woman, and while the right hand is historically significant of course, I am left handed." She smiled enematically at the other woman before shutting the bathroom door and leaving Beca to figure the meaning out by herself.

Yes, Pieter was her right hand, her balance, but Beca was a doubling, a strengthening, someone that made her more. And Pieter was some of those things as well, but in different ways. She only hoped that the both of them felt the same.

She got ready quickly, changing, putting her hair in a ponytail and forgoing makeup. She would be on a plane all day, there was no point to the effort. Well, perhaps there was a point to the effort standing outside the bathroom door, but she had already seen Mina without makeup and it did not matter.

She stepped out again and both of the others looked up. Pieter finished zipping up Mina's bag and set it beside his own.

"A cab for us is on the way. The mouse has called one for herself."

Mina nodded and opened her mouth to ask why two separate cabs, but Beca answered before she ever got a word out.

"Yeah, the airport is sort of in a completely different direction from Barden unfortunately. You'd be late if you dropped me off, and I, unfortunately, have a fuck ton of homework to do tonight or I'd go with you." Beca grimaced. "What's it like to be graduated again? I need something to work towards."

Mina laughed. "There is still homework, Beca, it just isn't graded. But I admit, there is less of it, but no job is truly nine to five, not really." She shrugged.

Beca groaned. "Ugh, that's not what you're supposed to tell me. I mean, I like advanced production, but the homework makes me want to pull out my hair, especially since it reminds me of the internship and then I get guilty in the middle of the house about the fact that I haven't told the girls about that at all. It's ridiculous."

Pieter walked over and squeezed her shoulders. "I'm sure you are brilliant at it and that it will be worth it to make you a better producer. And as for your internship and the other Bellas, you will tell them when you are ready."

Beca looked up at him with a skeptical look on her face. "You're totally just saying all of those things to make me feel better."

"I'm saying those things because I believe them. I have developed the habit of being very forthright, at least when I am being serious. I wouldn't know where I got it from." He smiled back at Mina before looking back at Beca. "But it is true."

Beca crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Ok, ok, fine. But it's still super stressful."

Mina walked across the room to stand beside the both of them. She put one of her hands on top of Pieter's and squeezed Beca's shoulder as well. "We will be here for you every step of the way. Call us at any time. If we are practicing we will call you back as soon as we're done, just as we have been doing. Nothing has changed about that. Nothing will."

The mouse uncrossed her arms and frowned harder. "Well, I mean talking to you guys does help…"

"Exactly." Mina reached up and tucked a few stray pieces of hair back into place. "And talking to you also makes our days much, much brighter."

Beca blushed and stepped back. Mina let her hand drop to her side as Beca shuffled about the room.

"Yeah, well, not as much as hearing your gorgeous voices makes my day better." Beca threw up her hands for a second before shrugging.

Mina chuckled. "Call it a drawl?"

"Sure." Beca's color finally started to go back to normal. Mina was sad to see the cute pink tint go.

Pieter's phone going off interrupted them. He picked up and spoke a few words and Mina frowned. Their cab was here. It was official. They really had to leave now. She sighed heavily and grabbed up her bag. It was off from a wonderful, almost dreamlike weekend, and into the harsh reality of the TSA. She thought the transition was almost cruel, really.

Pieter hung up a second later and grabbed his bag. "Here's hoping that the checkout line is short. That cabbie was very quick."

Beca grabbed up her stuff and headed out with them down to the lobby. Her cab arrived just as Pieter was handing over the key card and settling their expenses. Mina had the irrational urge to just lift the tiny girl up onto her shoulder and take her with them. If only it were that easy. But Beca had been right the night before. Months sucked, no matter how much contact they could have through text and phone calls and video chats.

Then they were walking out onto the sidewalk into the lukewarm winter day. A cabbie that was leaning on his van stood up as they approached and popped his trunk. Pieter grabbed Mina's bag off her shoulder and helped the other man load their bags. Mina turned to Beca a brittle smile on her face.

"Until worlds, little mouse?" she asked, wishing that they could somehow see each other before then.

"At least for in person, yeah, I guess." She looked down at the ground for a second before her face turned up again. She took a hesitant half step forward before launching the rest of the way into a rather spontaneous hug. Mina was so surprised for a second that she froze. Beca didn't do things like this she knew. She held back affection, not unlike herself around anyone but Pieter and the woman gripping onto her. But here she was.

And that was enough for Mina's arms to wrap around the other woman tightly, setting her chin on Beca's head and hugging her for a long, long moment. Pieter came up a second later and hugged her from behind, long arms going around the both of them to rub circles on Beca's back. Beca breathed out into Mina chest, shaking just barely.

All too soon it ended. Beca stepped back from them and looked away. "Right, I mean, it's not like I'm never going to see you again, or that you're going to die or anything. No need for over dramatic movie moment hugs. Ugh, I always hated them when Jesse made me watch movies with them in it, but I mean, you guys hug really well and everything so like, that was still really, really nice, and maybe we should do it again sometime, but that isn't the point right now. Yeah, I'll see you guys at worlds," she rushed out.

"We look forward to it, tiny mouse," Pieter said, stepping from behind Mina.

"Uh, yeah, ditto." She looked over her shoulder at the other cabbie there. "Right, well, he's probably gonna be cranky if I wait any longer. See you guys."

Mina stepped forward on an impulse and hugged the girl to her once more for just a short moment. "Have no illusions, I will be texting you the moment I can't see you in the mirrors of the taxi."

Beca's breath caught. "Um, ok, I'll make sure to text you back."

Mina nodded. "Good, little mouse, we can't have you lapse into bad texting habits, now can we?" She raised a haughty eyebrow before turning and climbing into the cab, Pieter right behind her.

The taxi pulled away and Mina took out her phone. Just as she promised she sent a text message as soon as she couldn't see the other woman anymore. "I miss you already," it read.

It was risky, she knew, but they were the only words that came to mind, and so the only ones she sent. She held her breath for a few seconds before her phone vibrated in her hand.

"I miss you guys already too," Beca's message read.

And in more ways than one Mina breathed easy once more.


	12. Chapter 12

YOU KNOW WHAT'S A GOOD WAY TO CELEBRATE FINISHING A PAPER FOR CLASS? POSTING A CHAPTER AT 4AM. YEAH.

* * *

Mina felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. And vibrate. And vibrate. And vibrate. This time there was no doubt in her mind who it was. Beca was always a muli-texter. She babbled to Mina even in text form with various compliments, but ever since that first slew of messages about the breakup with Jesse it had become clear that the more upset she was, the more verbose she became. And from the amount of vibrating that was going on now, their mouse was very upset.

But she looked out on the slew of advertisers and sponsors in front her after their last performance and knew that for the good of DSM she could not leave to talk to Beca right now, or really anytime soon for that matter. Sponsors were long winded and self-congratulatory on what winners they backed and because their money was what paid the bills when performances were on the back burner for whatever reason, she had to nod and smile along for an appropriate amount of time.

She was so very torn in that moment. Mina had never been in this position before, caught between love and duty. Pieter had always been at her side no matter what was happening between them. She had always told herself she would drop everything if it came to this, but really she was a pragmatic person and that wasn't really her. Not when the rest of DSM counted on her.

A pain shot through her. Was she even worthy of Beca if she wouldn't do this simple thing? She didn't feel like it, even if she knew rationally that she was being over dramatic about everything.

Pieter put his hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in Mina's ear. "The little mouse is worried about something," he said in Spanish. A roomful of German sponsors did not need to know their business.

She looked at him from the side of her eye. She could not get out of her responsibilities here without consequences of a major sort, but Pieter could. A second in command didn't have to be there. His leaving could be written off to a family emergency and no one would blink. Quite honestly that wasn't so far from the truth.

"She is." Mina turned to him. "Go and comfort her now. I will be along when I can, but I know you will calm her down. You are good at that sort of thing."

Pieter looked out at the sponsors, who were curiously looking at them, wondering what was going on. "What about-"

Mina cut him off. "I will deal with them, don't worry. Go, before she self-destructs."

He nodded and walked off quickly already typing into his phone.

Mina breathed out slowly. Everything would be fine. Pieter could take care of Beca on his own. She knew it would be like this, that sometimes they would function all as a group and sometimes they would be separated as a pair while the third was off alone. She did not begrudge that of alone time in a romantic, or even just a platonic sense. People needed time alone to grow together. But this was a time of crisis, even if it was a small one, and while she knew perhaps it might be better for them all in the long run, she did not have to like it.

She turned back to the sponsors, cleared her mind and put on her most charming, and perhaps fakest smile. "I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen my second in command has to deal with a family emergency but of course I will be able to stay and talk with you all. Now, where were we?"

And then the circus was off and running again, keeping Mina distracted for the most part, but she was still thinking about their mouse in the back of her mind the entire time, hoping that she was truly ok.

* * *

Mina rushed back to their apartment after the meeting was finally done. It had taken so much longer than she wanted and she wasn't surprised that Pieter had gone home without her. It was a much more private place to talk. Being back in Germany was nice for that, even if she missed their mouse terribly.

"Pieter," she called out as soon as she had their apartment door open. "Where are you?"

"Living room," he called back, voice only slightly muffled. The apartment had great acoustics, it was one of the reasons they'd decided on the place. Her voice bouncing off the walls, mingled with his sounded better here than anywhere else, and maybe it was the acoustics and maybe it was just because they were home, but that didn't change that it was true.

She hurried down the hall, leaving a trail of things in her wake that would irritate her later, but she had to know right then if Beca was ok. Pieter was sitting on the couch, already in a worn t-shirt and sweats, relaxing. Tomorrow was another early day despite the late performance. It was to be expected a month before worlds.

Pieter clicked off the TV and turned towards Mina. "Fended off the dogs, did you?"

She glared at him. Idle conversation was not what she needed nor wanted at that moment.

"She's fine, darling, shaken up, but fine now. I told her you would call when you got home. She didn't know if she'd be able to answer. Her phone is dying and they're still at the retreat, but she said she would pick up if she could."

Pieter's words relaxed her somewhat. Mina made her way over to the couch and flopped down with none of her usual grace. Her cellphone was out a second later and she was dialing the number she already knew by heart. There were few she bothered to memorize anymore, what with her cellphone and its contact book doing most of the work for her now, but she still had some committed to memory. Her old childhood landline that her parents had pounded into her head when she was young and cell phones were not a common thing just yet. It had long ago been disconnected but she could still recite it with minimal effort. Her mother's current cell number which had been the same for the last eight years, her father's too, both had been used a great deal in her time at university and still a fair bit now. They didn't understand her, as most parents did not understand their children born in an entirely different generation, but they were loving and supportive and so she talked to them often. Then there was Pieter's number of course, which she had better memorized than he did, the blockhead. And now Beca's had joined the short list. This knowledge pleased her greatly, but not enough to cover the twinge of worry and disappointment that flowed through her when Beca's phone went straight to voicemail. So it seemed her phone had died while Mina was still out. She cursed in a few languages, but that didn't make her feel better.

She turned to Pieter instead. "Her phone is dead. What happened?"

Pieter took a deep breath before speaking. "At the retreat they went to our mouse got caught in a bear trap."

Mina's eyes widened but before she could speak Pieter cut her off.

"She's fine, as I said. It was a net, not a steel clamp. I was confused at first as well. But she wandered off the path in a huff, got drug into the air by the net, and subsequently confessed every secret she had been hiding from the Bellas this year in her duress, including the internship. And though she said nothing about it, I'm positive there was something in there about us and her feelings toward us as well." Pieter sat back and rubbed a hand through his too long hair. He would get it cut before worlds, but only with enough time to spare so it would grow out a bit and not look fresh cut, just well groomed. She knew his habits too well.

"She was worried. Her friends, after a talk, told her everything was fine, but that they were disappointed she didn't trust them."

Mina filled in the blank. "And now she's worried that everything really isn't fine and that they're just saying that. And even if it is true, disappointment weighs heavier on someone than anger."

Pieter nodded. "Exactly, though she did not state it so succinctly. I don't think anything about that entire conversation was succinct. The little mouse is an adorable babbler." He grinned and shook his head for just a moment. "She balances you nicely." He grew more serious again. "But it does make her harder to help in a timely fashion, especially when I cannot hug her." He frowned deeply. "As different as you are I think that would help you both equally."

Pieter's hugs did help her greatly. They were warm and so very safe. She couldn't imagine Beca feeling any other way about them, not as hard as she had hugged them back in Atlanta. God, had that really been two months before?

"But you did get her to calm down? As often as you calm me I find it hard to believe you didn't."

"Of course I did. I would still be on the phone if I hadn't managed it yet." He looked at little offended, but in this case Mina was unrepentant. She needed to know definitely that their little muse was ok.

"I know," she said instead. "I just-"

Pieter cut her off with a wave, all already forgiven. His goofy nature also made him so very forgiving, which for her was a god send. Too often she said or did the wrong thing, tried to shut him out, now more subconsciously than consciously. She knew it was impossible to keep Pieter out for any length of time. He had fought to be with her and he fought to stay. She returned the sentiment in a different way, fighting on his behalf even if he didn't need it and by being as honest as humanly possible. It had worked out in the long run, she supposed, their different way of being.

It was odd to her that being with Beca, or at least pursuing her had changed none of this. Everything was different, was more, and yet nothing was. It all came back to that feeling that Beca made them better than they were before she supposed, not different, but somehow still better.

She ached and wished that Beca's phone hadn't died. She wanted to talk to her badly, but Pieter's account was as close as she was going to get until the weekend ended and Beca got back to civilization and a phone charger. It was still Friday night back in the states. It was ging to be a very long weekend.

She turned back to Pieter. "And that was it?" She asked

"No, I stayed on the line with her for a bit and she told me about their first day at this retreat." His eyes started to gleam and Mina knew some crazy idea was about to come out if his mouth.

"You know, I never like it when you look like that."

He grinned. "I know, which makes it more fun."

Mina sighed and faced the inevitable. "What crazy idea do you have now?"

Pieter perked up immediately like some sort of puppy allowed free range of a dog park. "I think we should take DSM on one of these team building retreats, sometime after worlds. It would almost be a break, but a productive break. Beca was describing what they were doing and it sounded fun."

Mina side eyed him hard. The grin earlier had made her suspicious, but at the moment there seemed to be no catch. "What sort of activities count as team building?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh there was an obstacle course that required everyone to work together to get through, and something about a water slide and aquatics portion and a rope course. Then there were the more usual exercises, falling and trusting the person to catch you, things like that." He paused for a second and Mina knew that the catch was coming. "There was also a mud pit that they had to help each other through. Apparently Beca still had mud in places she'd rather not talk about." And the grin was back, this time with a wicked edge.

She stared back at him like he'd gone insane. "And what exactly makes you think that I would like to crawl through the mud in the name of team building?" She hated being dirty and that sounded like her worst nightmare.

"Oh, they hosed off right after, don't worry." He handed her a packet of papers.

Mina looked through the papers finding at least three peer reviewed articles attesting to the success of various team building exercises. She looked up at him and ground her teeth. Of course he would pull out the scientifically proved card on her. She looked down at the papers. When had he even had time to look these things up?

Pieter just continued to grin at her. She had a feeling that if he had a tail it would be wagging at an accelerated pace.

"Oh, and I believe if we went to the same place that the Bellas did their friend could lead us through some a Capella exercises as well. She was the captain before our mouse was."

Damn, he had made his case effectively. She squinted, too effectively. She would have expected the temptation about a Capella training, but sources like the ones she was holding wouldn't have come up until she'd said no once. He would have gotten here on his own, eventually, but not this quickly. This spoke of someone else helping him who was not so flash in the pan about planning.

Her eyes narrowed and she looked up at him. "You and the mouse planned this, didn't you?"

Pieter's grin only got wider. "Actually it was her idea. She said something about liking to see us crawling through the mud because we would look like Greek gods come from the Olympics. I told her that I'd like to see you both mud wrestle more."

She slapped him for that. Aesthetically, perhaps she could see the draw, but no, never if she had a choice. There were other things that were far more pleasurable and on the right side of dirty to ever go near a mud pit.

"But yes, I told her I would suggest the idea to you and I might have gotten the papers from her friend who works there and here we are now. We're going right? Because I believe Beca will come and see us when we do go."

Mina huffed. She had been totally played by the other two like some sort of violin. "You both really wanted to see me crawl through the mud that badly?" She glared.

"Maybe." He snickered. "The mighty Kommissar so thoroughly debased. It might make a scandal."

"I'll show you a scandal when I push you in first and won't help you out."

He put his hand over his heart dramatically. "Oh no, whatever shall I do?"

They fell silent for a second and Mina realized she had been played in more than one way. Pieter had completely distracted her from her worry over Beca with all his stupid joking. She glared at him again. She didn't want to be distracted.

And yet, she was still thankful for it.

She sighed. "Yes, I suppose we'll go. We'll schedule it in first thing that way no one can book us on those dates. But for the love of god make sure that we're already in the US. I don't want to fly internationally just for one getaway to crawl in the mud." She stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me it's going to be another long day tomorrow and sleep is a good idea." She sniffed at him and walked off.

Two steps later she found herself being drawn back against his chest. Pieter kissed her neck in that exact spot that made her melt every single time and this time was no different.

"I know what you're doing," she breathed out shakier than she wanted. She was going for stern, damn it, but Pieter's lips were insistent and her knees were already weak.

He pulled back for just a second. "I know, which makes it more fun." He grinned into her skin, pleased with the parroting of his earlier statement. He slipped a hand under her shirt and stroked the soft skin there.

Mina _wanted_ him. They had been busy, too busy really to do much of anything for at least a week. She knew tonight should be the same way, but it wouldn't be. Her mind was calmed about the mouse, but she would still worry at least a bit. Pieter knew this, knew the best way to get her to stop worrying until tomorrow was both to distract her and wrap her up so completely in him that nothing else existed. And damn if it wasn't going to work like a charm. She loved him so much that she couldn't quantify it. Human brains had trouble understanding large quantities of anything, there was simply no frame of reference, and this was no different.

"Block head," she sighed out, leaning back against him, hand coming to rest over his.

"Yours," he said, voice getting raspier and deeper already and it sent a bolt of arousal through Mina.

He started to kiss her neck again, maddeningly soft, driving her just a little bit wild.

"If you really know what you're doing take me to bed already," she growled out.

The next second he had scooped her up and was walking towards their bedroom. "As you wish."

* * *

Whoops, cut it off in an evil place. Blame the post-paper madness.


	13. Chapter 13

Here there is literally nothing but smut, if you're just here for the plot, skip this chapter, come back next chapter and we're all good.

* * *

Mina squeaked a bit. She'd never be used to the fact that someone could pick her up and carry her as if she was no more than a rag doll. Yet Pieter did it on a regular basis and while it was surprising she couldn't say that it wasn't at least a little bit of a turn on. She turned slightly in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck. She kissed his throat gently, licking along his jugular, feeling his heart hammer against her tongue. Before she could stop herself she bit down hard, leaving an already purpling mark. Pieter groaned and stopped, pinning her against the wall and turning her face up towards his and kissing her hard, all teeth and demanding lips. She locked her feet around his back and pressed herself into him.

Pieter was hard against her already. It was no real surprise considering just how fiercely they were going at it. She gasped into the kiss and started rubbing against him as much as being trapped between the wall and Pieter let her. Pieter groaned again and pulled back.

"Stop that or I'll take you right here against the wall." His eyes fluttered open, hard and wild looking, dialated as they were in the dim light.

Mina chuckled and looked around for half a second. The were only about 3/4ths of the way down the hall. "I'm sure we've fucked here before. What is one more time?"

Pieter growled and Mina thought he was going to take her suggestion but he pushed them off and walked down the rest of the hall. The next minute she was lying on their bed looking up at him as he surveyed her hungrily. Mina swallowed hard. He could be the gentlest of lovers, or he could be like this, fierce and demanding and god if Mina didn't love and need both. No matter what she could see the look in his eyes, under all the feral hunger that said she was safer with him than she was anyone else in the world. When the mouse joined them, and now she thought in whens and not ifs, this feeling of safety would intensify. Pieter would go to the ends of the earth and back to protect them from everyone, including, if need be, themselves.

"Staring is not touching," Mina said, spurring him on.

Pieter reached out and tugged her shirt up quickly. He didn't even allow Mina the time to sit up and remove it, he just moved it out if the way and was on her, pulling her bra down enough that her breasts sprung free. Callused fingers found her nipples pinching and pulling hard but not too hard. Just enough to make Mina moan and squirm beneath him. They'd had years to determine what was too much and what wasn't enough. Mina looked forward to the same discovery process with Beca. It had brought herself and Pieter closer, she imagined it would do the same for all three of them.

Pieter's mouth latched onto her a few seconds later. Mina arched up. Pieter could do sinful things with his mouth and he liked to remind her of that fact very, very often. Not that she minded as she felt herself getting wetter and wetter and a bit more out of her mind for him. She grabbed his hair after a few minutes of delicious torture, both of her nipples a bit sore from the attention, and brought him up to kiss her again hard, herself in control this time, telling him without words what she needed.

Pieter understood immediately, reaching for the clasp of her slacks with one hand and easily undoing them. Mina remembered a time when he could barely work her clothes at all, let alone with ease. Oh how far they had come, and how far the three of them still had to go. He pushed her pants and underwear down enough that he could slip his hand in-between her thighs. A second later he parted her folds, dragging his fingers through them lightly. Mina's breath caught in her throat.

"Oh god," she moaned.

Pieter laughed and Muna knew he was thinking something along the lines of "Just Pieter is fine thanks." She wanted to slap him even for the thought but his fingers were still moving in maddeningly light patterns and she could barely think straight let alone move anything other than her hips.

"Get on with it, blockhead," she gritted out through clenched teeth.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, nipping her earlobe after every couple of words. "But I enjoy watching the mighty Kommissar come undone."

She opened her mouth to object but then Pieter was kissing her again and his fingers were brushing over her clit in tight circles. She lost all presence of mind but still managed to get a good bite into Pieter's lip for retaliation. Oh she lost control around him and she knew it and a part of her loved it, but she didn't want to be reminded of it. Pieter in his infinite wisdom like stupidity had probably used it just to get a rise out of her. She would truly get him back for that later by fucking his brains out until the only words he knew were her name and fuck. She grinned into the kiss and then her thoughts were gone the next second as Pieter's fingers plunged into her hard.

Mina cried out as Pieter paused for just a moment to let her get used to the feeling before thrusting hard and fast into her. His thumb rubbed against her clit in just the way she liked it and after a few strokes he curled his fingers to hit the rough patch inside of her. God, he was going for broke, trying to make her come hard and fast. Mina didn't even care as the pleasure rocketed through her. Her hands reached up and tangled in the short curls of Pieter's hair for a few seconds, tugging on the ends and making him moan into her mouth. Her hips worked in time with his fingers and she could feel herself getting closer. Many of her other one night stands had been good at sex, but no one was ever as good as Pieter. Whether that was because he knew her body, or because they loved each other, she didn't know nor did she care. She just loved how he made her feel and conversely how she could make him feel.

Her tongue stroked along his as she wondered what Beca would make them feel like. Would it be hot, melting them from the inside out? Like fireworks, ready to explode into brilliant colors? Or perhaps something calmer like a cat in the sun, warm in just the right way and so very pleasurable. Pieter was some combination of all three, right now verging more on hot as her orgasm built within her. She felt sweat breaking out on her hairline and the moans coming out of her throat were endless.

Pieter corkscrewed his fingers in her and she was gone, screaming his name, gripping onto his shoulders hard enough to bruise as she rode out her pleasure. Her hips finally stilled and she fell limp onto the bed, Pieter beside her smirking like he was the cat in this equation, not the giraffe.

Mina looked over at him, limbs still heavy, not wanting to respond just yet. It had been a very good orgasm.

"And what are you smirking for?" she asked him, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all." He reached out and cupped her face, drawing her into a gentle kiss.

Mina sighed and leaned into it for a long few minutes as her strength came back to her. She inched towards him slowly, hands on his chest, slipping under his t-shirt to trace the plane of his abs. She licked his lips, nipping them gently as her body started to heat up again, slower this time now that one orgasm was already out of the way.

She sat up fully and pulled her shirt and bra off and kicked off her pants. Pieter looked her over, look still as wanting as it had been the first time they had slept together. He reached out to touch her but Mina danced out of his grip, grabbing his hands and holding them together by the wrist.

"Oh no, you had your fun. Now it's my turn." She slipped her free hand under Pieter's shirt again, and with a little help from him, it went flying across the room to lay with her discarded clothing. Her hands ran over his skin for a few minutes, raking her nails across his nipples as he shivered. He was sensitive there too. She smirked and kissed him, not giving him enough to satisfy, but enough to be addicting.

She let go of his hands with a look that said he still wasn't to touch her and she sat up again. Her hands found their way under the waistband of his sweatpants and she slowly drug them off. Mina licked her lips. Pieter was so very proportional. She reached out and traced her fingertips lightly over his dick which responded instantly to her touch. Pieter grunted and clenched his fists in the sheets.

Mina debated on whether or not she was going to draw out his torture, but decided against it. She wanted him inside her right now. She reached over to the nightstand, grabbed out a condom and put it on Pieter, riling him up that much more. He was breathing harder now as she swung her leg over him. Mina leaned down and kissed him once more.

"Now who's losing control," she whispered before sitting back up and sliding herself onto him. She sighed, feeling full and so very right like this. Her hips started to rock back and forth gently and Pieter groaned quietly. His eyes fluttered open and locked with hers as she started to speed up. Mina smirked at him and twisted herself just so.

"Fuck," Pieter said, voice tight and strained.

Mina laughed darkly and sped up again. Her legs started to burn from how quickly she was going, but it felt so very good and so she didn't care. Tomorrow she would just keep it easy on the leg exercises. It could be arms day during practice. No one would question it.

One of her hands drifted down her body and started to circle her clit. She breathed out a heavy sigh. Oh, that felt very, very good. The sound of slapping skin and their muttered curses were all that filled the room for a couple of minutes. Pieter couldn't help but touch Mina after the first few minutes. His hands found her hips, guiding her down harder, but not faster onto him. The muscles in his face were drawn tight and she knew he was close to coming. She rubbed at her clit a bit harder, breath catching, flinging her head back just a bit, her hair escaping her bun and tickling her back.

Pieter grabbed at her breasts again, large hands encompassing all of them. He pinched at sore skin and Mina came hard and unexpectedly. She shuttered, trying to keep up her rhythm, trying to draw out her second orgasm for as long as possible. Pieter came a second later, breathing out her name and grunting as his hips jerked.

Mina collapsed on his chest as they both caught their breath. She slid off of him and onto her side of the bed, sleepy now that her breathing had calmed. Two orgasms was enough to knock her out. Pieter knew that and she suspected that's why he hadn't gone straight to fucking her. She would sleep well tonight and not worry about their mouse.

He reached down, pulled off the condom and threw it into the trash before pulling up the covers over their cooling bodies. Mina curled into him, naked skin pressing on naked skin and sighed. He wrapped his arms around her and they both closed their eyes.

"I love you," Mina said, whispering into the dark. "More than I can say."

Pieter drew her tighter to him. "I love you too. More than I can comprehend."

It was strange how she had thought along the same lines earlier that night. How they were so in tune at points was beyond her, but she loved it nonetheless.

"Goodnight giraffe."

"Night, kitty cat."

She rolled her eyes at that, but was asleep soon afterwards.


	14. Chapter 14

Two days later Mina's phone rang right as practice ended, that special tone that signified the call was coming over wifi and not over regular celluar channels. Abroad it was a common enough sound, but at home she rarely heard it. Her face lit up as she lunged for her phone. It had to be Beca finally calling her after getting back from the retreat.

"Tiny mouse," she said in lieu of greeting.

"Hey. I'm still alive. No bears ate me. Though im sure Pieter told you about the bear trap, that traitor."

Mina smiled. "Oh, he did, but because I was worried for you, not for a laugh. I was imagining a steel trap, not a net. But now that I know you're ok, I admit, it is rather amusing."

"Yeah he freaked about that too. I swear he would've hopped on a plane if I had actually got stuck in one of those sort of traps."

"Oh, he would have and grabbed me to go with him without explaining what was going on. It would have been a mess."

She got the distinct impression that Beca was blushing. "You guys wouldn't have to come if something like that happened. It's not like I wouldn't have the whole Bella team looking after me or anything."

"You would, I know, and we wouldn't have to, but we would want to. It wouldn't matter where we were and what we were doing, we would want to. I dont believe there would be any stopping us."

Protectiveness flared up inside Mina. No, there would certainly be no stopping them. She would break down doors if she had to, break enough laws to get her put away for life, but she would be there.

"I'll keep that in mind then. Um, thanks."

"There is no need to thank us for something we would do without hesitation or question, but the sentiment is appreciated, Beca."

They fell silent for a few moments, just listening to each other breathe. Mina usually hated these awkward silences. She usually hated phone calls period, but she was used to them now being team leader of DSM and so she endured. But this silence with Beca wasn't uncomfortable, if anything it was comforting to know that Beca was alive and well.

"How are your friends with everything now that the weekend is over?" Mina finally asked voice quiet.

She looked up and saw a member of DSM heading towards her with purpose and frowned. She did not want her time with Beca interrupted. She tried to glare at him to make it clear that she was busy, but he did not notice. At the last second Pieter swept in and cut Elias off. Mina smiled and grabbed up her stuff before walking from the gym they rented to practice. After this worlds she was going to set all the money aside and buy a place of their own. Renting was a hassle. DSM would complain that they didn't get a bonus, but a space of their own would shut them up after a short time.

Beca took a deep breath. "They're good, I think. I think we're all good. We're out of the funk we were in and I think we found our voice again. It'll be hard pulling something awesome out in a month, but we're all together again and I think we can do it."

Mina smiled. "Good, good, I am glad that you have figured it out. After all it wouldn't be fun without a little competition from somewhere. God knows its not like the French team will put up much of a fight." She snorted. They were idiots who thought they knew everything about art and music because they were French. They did not.

"Yeah, we're gonna kick your ass don't worry."

"I'll provide the stepstool so you may reach it." She smiled wider at their now familiar banter. Mina stepped out into the spring air. It was actually warming up now. April was fighting its way in, melting some of the snow on the warmer days, but there were still large piles and would be for a while.

"They really are ok with the internship?" Mina asked, starting to make her way home. Pieter would find her there eventually.

"Yeah, I talked to them more about why I hid everything and I think we all realized we've been too focused on everything that it was actually breaking us up a bit. Well, that was Chloe and Aubrey talking because they're actually good at words and emotions but it sounded exactly like what I was feeling so."

Mina had a feeling that Beca was shrugging. She wished the month would go by faster so that she could hug their little mouse again. Beca sounded fine, but a hug never hurt.

"There may have also been, um, something about you guys in that whole confession thing," Beca muttered, switching to English for the first time in the entire conversation. Mina could barely hear her, but she'd still caught the words. She wasn't sure if she should say something or just let the mouse go on in her own time. This was where she needed Pieter, but Beca had chosen to tell her this and so she would deal. But she still looked over her shoulder to see if Pieter was anywhere close. He wasn't of course.

After too long a pause Mina finally spoke up. "And what did you say, darling?" Her voice was soft, not pushy in any way. It was the closest she could get to a hug when she was four thousand miles away.

"Um, uh, well, it was actually a lot of things, but it mostly boiled down to that there's something going on between the three of us, and I'm not really sure what it is, but it's there and I think it's stronger than anything I had with Jesse but I just don't know because you guys are so far away all so it's hard to really figure out."

Mina bit her lip. Was now the time to really show their hand? They had in a way at the riff off months ago, but it had been different then. They hadn't talked for months and months and comforted each other in the bad times and celebrated the good. They knew each other now. Saying something now would mean more.

"What do you want to be going on?" Mina asked instead. She had to know exactly where she stood before she took the huge risk of revealing just what she really wanted. An offer in a bar was different than the words that were bursting to come out of her. Those words were more permanent. They revealed the person underneath her persona, not that Beca hadn't already seen her, but…

Beca paused for a long moment thinking. "You remember back at the riff off, where you offered the whole threesome thing?"

"I remember all the conversations we've had, so yes." She bit her lip hard hoping that Beca wouldn't just want a one time threesome and nothing more. She would take what she could get, but that would only be one sip when she was dying of thirst.

"I…I want that, but I mean I don't just want that. Like you're both insanely hot and Jesus Christ above I would be lucky to fuck you, but I just…there's something more there."

"So what you're saying is that you'd like to be in a relationship with the two of us?" Her heart sped up. Months and months of waiting and this could be it finally.

"I think so, but like…I don't know. Like I said it's sort of hard to figure out when we're four thousand miles apart. I'm not good at this shit face to face and I think I'm even worse like this." Beca sighed heavily.

"Mouse," Mina started and then paused. She hoped that she could find the right words for this. It was too important not to. "If it helps you with your decision Pieter and I want that, want you. I think we've wanted more than just a threesome for a long time, perhaps since the riff off itself. There was just something…right about all three of us together." She took a deep breath, knowing the next words had to be said, but not wanting to. They felt like she was throwing away her chance at everything she wanted. "But that being said, we won't pressure you into anything. We will wait for as long as it takes to figure it out, and if you decide that what you want isn't this, well, you will still always be our friend as long as you wish us to be."

Beca made a frustrated noise. "Jesus, why aren't you guys just here because I actually want to hug someone for the first time in my life and of course they're in a different country."

"In a month we will both be in Denmark."

"Yeah, we will." Beca hummed quietly.

"Perhaps then you can hug us. And perhaps maybe we can all talk face to face and maybe figure everything out if we can?" She wiped her hands on her sweatpants. They were clammy. It had been a very long time since she was this nervous.

"Yeah, I think, yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Mina nodded even though Beca couldn't see it. "OK." And like that everything was decided. At least for the time being.

"But no matter what we're still winning worlds."

Mina laughed and all tension from the conversation dissipated. "Oh, you can try. Now, tell me little mouse, Pieter said something about you crawling through a mud hole, is it true?"

"Yeah, ugh it was disgusting. I mean like my inner five year old loved it but I hated it."

"And yet you persuaded Pieter to bring us to this same retreat so you could watch me crawl in the mud." Mina put just a bit of the hard tone of the Kommissar in her voice.

"Um?" The phone moved away and Beca started to curse in mixed German and English and she knew Pieter was going to get and earful later. She smiled at the prospect.

"I might have?"

"Then I suppose, mouse, that the only way to pay you back for that is to drag you into the mud while we're there." Or perhaps, if they had sorted everything out by then there could be another form of retribution that didn't have to do with mud. A much more pleasurable form of torture. Mina rubbed at her temples. She was getting almost as bad as Pieter with the thoughts of sex.

"Please, god no I had enough of that this weekend. I'll do literally anything else."

Mina sighed at the inevitable dirty thoughts popping back up a second after she had just gotten rid of them. "I suppose we can work something out. Though I don't suppose your friend will let me skip that portion either?"

Beca snorted. "Aubrey, fuck no dude you're on your own with that one. Hell, depending on what mood she's in she might make me do it again just because I'm there watching you guys and laughing. Ugh, I need to hide to watch that part."

"But not in a bear trap." Mina grinned.

"No, smart-ass not in a bear trap. I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

Mina chuckled. "No, probably not anytime soon."

"Ugh, you're both horrible."

"And yet you talk to us a great deal."

"Yeah, well, I….ugh shut up beautiful I just can't with the sass right now, it's late."

Mina did the time conversation in her head. It was almost two in the morning America. "Go to sleep, little mouse, I'm glad you called but you need your rest."

"But talking to you relaxes me. And I wasn't exactly sleeping before this. We got back at like eight and I went and unpacked and showered and was exhausted, but my brain won't turn off. Calling you was both productive and a way to help, I guess."

Mina melted just a bit at that. "That's sweet, Beca. I'm glad I could help in any way." She would help even more if she was there, cuddling up against the other woman and humming to her until she fell asleep. She smiled at that. She had an idea. "Are you in your bed?"

"No, I'm in the living room. Amy is actually asleep for once instead of bumping uglies with Bumper. Why?"

"Go get in bed but stay on the phone with me. I know how to get you to sleep."

"Uh sure, whatever you say."

Mina could hear the disbelief in Beca's voice but she pushed on. "Trust me, little mouse, if nothing else you'll be on the phone with me longer."

"OK, OK, you can try to work whatever pretty German voodoo you want on me but there's not a lot that can be done when I super get like this."

Mina heard Beca tread lightly up the stairs and a door open. There was the quiet rustling of sheets and then Beca breathed out a quiet sigh.

"OK, whatever you had in mind, I'm ready."

"Good." Mina took a deep breath and started to sing quietly. It was a lullaby her mother used to sing her as a child. She had imagined singing it to her children as well, if she ever had any, but this was just as good.

"I recognize that song. My grandma used to sing it to me."

"Shhh, mouse, this doesn't work if you keep talking."

Beca made a noise in the back of her throat but didn't speak again. Mina went back to singing, voice soft and gentle. Slowly, bit by bit, Beca's breathing regulated to deep and even little puffs. Mina smiled to herself as she kept singing for just a little whole longer. She had put their mouse to sleep rather easily. Good, Beca needed the sleep after the weekend she had.

She finished the last verse one final time and then fell quiet for just a second before speaking once more, even quieter than before, afraid that she would wake Beca right back up. "Goodnight, darling, I love you." She swallowed hard at the words but couldn't take them back. They were true. So deeply true that she couldn't see where they began.

She hung up the phone finally a second later, staring at it for a minute before putting her phone back in her pocket. She had accidentally walked by her apartment while she was talking to Beca. Mina turned around and started to make her way home again. She had it bad. She had known it for a long while but this cemented it more somehow.

She sighed a month more to go until worlds.


	15. Chapter 15

It's shorter than normal, I know, but if this one and the next one are a bit shorter, then I might not have to put this one on hiatus until after the semester like everything else I haven't finished yet. HERE'S HOPING. Also happy thanksgiving for my US peeps and happy Thursday for everyone else.

* * *

Mina breathed in, smelling salt and just the slightest tang of ice that Copenhagen retained even during the summer. Her heart sped up. Worlds was in a week. Beca would be arriving later tomorrow to set up shop with the Bellas. Finally after three months they would get to see each other again. They could work things out. The thought buoyed her greatly.

She looked back at Pieter, hauling their suitcases from the baggage claim. She knew he was happy about everything too, but there was something niggling at her. She couldn't put her finger on what just yet, but it definitely had to do with Pieter. If she left it alone it would come to her in time she supposed.

Pieter handed her her suitcase. "What way my Kommissar?" He mock saluted and Mina rolled her eyes. The team was surrounding them and yet he still could not contain his silliness. She should have known. She did know. But perhaps she still hoped. After all there was a major competition they had to win in the next week. It was time to get serious. He would pull through at the right time, just never when she wanted him to.

She nudged him with her hip. "To the taxi bay. I believe you have been on these trips before have you not?" She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I have suddenly forgotten all of my knowledge," he teased.

"Blockhead." She reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the taxi bay. They loaded everyone in, making sure everything was taken care of before they got a cab for themselves. DSM had done this all before so it didn't take much effort.

She slid into the back seat with Pieter, told the cabbie where they were going in Danish and then turned to Pieter and immediately started rattling off things that needed to be done in German. Pieter looked on, amused, but paying attention. When she finished he nodded.

"I already found us a practice space. It's rented out for the week. I know you never like to deal with the practice space the organizers give us and the scheduling around that. Expenses are settled with the hotel. The team knows to meet for team dinner later tonight. Practice has already been set at the new practice hall for tomorrow at six. Everything has already been taken care of, I told you. You can relax a bit, darling."

Mina opened her mouth to say that she'd never heard him tell her this and then shut her mouth. Now that she thought about it Pieter had, she just hadn't paid attention because she had been too caught up in the stress. She huffed and crossed her arms but leaned against Pieter, putting her head on his shoulder.

"OK then but if anything falls through—"

"I'll get and earful, I know," Pieter finished for her. "You and I plan too well for that to happen, you know that."

Mina looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "You are right." She let out a long breath. Normally she wasn't this bad for regular performances, but this was worlds. It was different.

"We planned so well in fact that we will be done with practice in time to meet the little mouse at the airport." Pieter smiled brilliantly, sun glinting off his cheekbones in such a way that he really looked like the god Beca claimed him to be.

It hit Mina then what had been bothering her. They hadn't talked anymore about their arrangement with Beca since that one conversation at the riff off months ago. She was sure their attitude was the same now, they both wanted Beca to be in a relationship with them, but she had to be sure. She couldn't have this falling apart around her. She wouldn't survive it.

"Pieter," she said quietly.

He turned to face her, expression turning serious as he felt the shift in the air. "Yes?"

"About the little mouse…you are sure that this is what you want, all three of us together?" She looked away. She couldn't bear to see his face shift if the answer was no. Even worse if she saw his face shift and he lied right to her face. He loved her enough that he would do it to save her, she was sure. But she didn't want that. She wanted all of them to be happy, she wanted him and the little mouse to be happy more than anything, she could take a blow to her happiness if it meant that everything would work out for the other two.

A second later Pieter's arms wrapped around her and drew her across the cab, sliding her across cracked leather and into his side. He turned her face towards him and looked her dead in the eye. Mina wanted to turn away again, but his look held her there with more force than any touch could have. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Mina, this is what I want. At the beginning of this we said we would see where it went. It was very obvious from that first night that this was where it was going. I wanted that then and I want that even more now. Together we are…better. I can't explain it, but I know you feel it. I see it in your eyes sometimes when we are talking on the phone to our mouse. I know we never talked about it afterwards, and never really said that this was explicitly what we wanted, but it is, right?"

Mina nodded without hesitation. "It is, it really is."

Pieter sighed and kissed her forehead. "Good, because I love the two of you so much that I think it might kill me to have to step back from one of you. I can't even imagine leaving both of you."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "No, that won't happen. Not both of us anyway. The little mouse still has to decide exactly what she feels, but I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." He squeezed her hard before pulling back enough to look down at her. "I still say that the little mouse will come around. She was right, long distance is hard, but there's just too much between us for it not to work out."

"Such an optimist." But Mina felt lighter even as her teasing words left her mouth. She was so glad that Pieter and her were on the same page. Thinking they were and knowing they were, were two different things, and for the first time since they had gotten into the cab she could breathe.

"I think it's not so much optimism as fact now, what with all the calls and texts and skype sessions and Facebook posts and emails—"

"You've made you're point you dumb giraffe."

Pieter grinned. "But you're still free to think what you want."

"Of course I am." She stuck out her tongue for a second before turning to the cabbie right as the taxi pulled up outside their hotel. She read the total off the meter, a hundred kroner. She handed him the total and enough for a nice tip and got out of the car, Pieter scrambling behind her.

The rest of DSM was already there, waiting for them to arrive, their bags by their feet. It was easy for her to slip right back into being the Kommissar. She'd had a great deal of practice she supposed.

"Come, we'll get checked in and then you are free until team dinner tonight, yes?"

They all nodded and followed her to the check in counter while Pieter got all of their bags out of the back seat of the trunk. He would probably haul them up above his head to show just how strong he was like an absolute blockhead, but she might just smile at him.

Ok, so she was sure to smile at his idiocy, but she liked to pretend that she didn't fall for such things, but with Pieter it was impossible not to, she supposed that's what being in love was like sometimes. She didn't begrudge it. It was all worth it in the end.

* * *

She walked out of practice the next day, wiping sweat off her brow with the towel Pieter handed her. How he always seemed to know exactly when she needed one, she'd never know, but it was handy. She felt disgusting but accomplished. They were ready for worlds, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to find every remaining little flaw in their routine in the time they had left. She couldn't let her team grow complacent. She didn't have faith in the Bellas, but she had faith in their little mouse, their routine would be something to contend with, and were they not DSM she might actually worry.

"How much time do we have before she lands?" Mina asked Pieter, heading back towards their hotel, bag on her shoulder, bottle of water in her free hand. She really wanted to shower before she met Beca again. Right now she was sure she smelled to the high heavens and her hair was god awful. It was not how she wanted anyone outside of DSM, let alone an object of her affections to see her. She glanced at Pieter, well, he was an exception because he was DSM and he was about as sweaty as she was right now.

"An hour."

Mina made a face. That was not enough time to get back to the hotel, shower, and get to the airport. "I thought you said we'd have enough time between practice and her flight landing to go to the airport."

"I did, I said nothing about a shower though."

She groaned. "Pieter, you might have mentioned that. I might have let them off fifteen minutes early if you had."

Pieter laughed. "No you wouldn't have."

She huffed. He did have a point, but still.

"She won't care what we look like, so long as we are there." He shrugged and smiled in that easy way he had.

"I'm sure you are right but I'm not taking that risk. We are running back to the hotel and both of us are hopping in the shower and it will be the fastest one either of us has taken in a long while. Do you understand?" She raised her eyebrow.

He fake saluted. "Yes, Kommissar."

She rolled her eyes but leaned up and kissed him before starting off at a fast jog towards the hotel.


	16. Chapter 16

I have died historic on the fury road that was this semester. However, I've already heard back from one of my grad schools and I GOT IN. So it was worth it. Now that Christmas is done I have a month of writing and sleeping ahead of me so I'll hopefully be updating this on the regular-ish again. :D also, while you're waiting for that to happen you should go check out the becommissar holiday exchange on ao3 because A. I organized it and everyone who participated put out some awesome fic and art and B. I also wrote for that so I offer that as a peace offering for my longer absence.

* * *

Mina stood at the arrivals gate and looked and looked for Beca, all but bouncing on her toes. Pieter was doing plenty of that for her, running around like a madman and the rather calm Danes around them didn't exactly know what was going on with him. It was both amusing and annoying, as many things Pieter did were. But really, she couldn't blame him this time. Not when only her iron will was stopping her from blowing past customs and looking for the girl who landed thirty minutes ago but had yet to come out.

Mina sorely hoped that Fat Amy hadn't done something to get them all detained by customs. The stories Beca had told about her didn't reassure her. She wasn't sure that dingoes fit in suitcases, though, so maybe everything was safe. Still though, ruling out that possibility still left a great many others. The Bellas were a bit of an adorable train wreck.

She scowled at the word adorable. They weren't adorable. Beca was adorable. That didn't make her whole team cute. She couldn't go that soft this close to worlds. They would win. They always did. And she would congratulate Beca on coming in second because she was sure the Bellas would. And console her on the loss of the Bellas as an institution. It was unfortunate, but couldn't be helped. She wouldn't throw the competition and she knew Beca wouldn't want her to even if she would.

She caught sight of bright red hair and turned. Sure enough there was Chloe striding through the crowd, and where Chloe was, Beca would follow. Her heart sped up in her chest. Three months had been too long. But that was about to end.

Another second and the crowd parted and she could finally see her little mouse. She looked over where Pieter had been but he wasn't there. She found him running through the crowd already. Mina sighed and walked after him, and if it was a power walk, well who could really blame her.

Pieter reached Beca and scooped her up in his arms. Beca shrieked loud enough to draw the eyes of some of the others around. He spun her around twice before sitting her down.

"Tiny mouse, how is your first taste of Copenhagen?" he asked after Beca was back on the ground.

"Well everyone is more polite and less chatty, thank god, but customs is still a bitch no matter the country." She shrugged but smiled up at Pieter. "Bit excited to see me though?"

"Perhaps might have been. What gave you the first clue?"

Mina came up behind Beca and wrapped her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders. "I would think the spinning might have given it away but I'm not sure."

Beca's arm wrapped around Mina's waist and she leaned in to her. "Yeah, I'm gonna go with that. It's a smart answer."

"Of course it is," Mina teased. "I am the one who said it."

Beca looked up at her and cocked an eyebrow. "And everything that comes out of your mouth is just genius, of course."

"But of course."

"Uh Huh."

"That is what I say, mouse, but she hardly ever listens to me." Pieter said, hugging Beca from the other side.

"Can you blame me?"

Beca hip checked Pieter, but he didn't move an inch. An adorable pout flashed across her face for a second before her expression smoothed once more.

"Maybe not, after all your second favorite nickname for him after giraffe is blockhead."

"I resent that." Pieter puffed out his chest.

"Oh hush, half the time you agree with it," Mina said.

That shut Pieter right up since they both knew she was right.

Chloe popped up beside them, startling all of them, but Mina refused to show it. She just calmly looked at the red head and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Chloe?" she asked.

"We're going to miss the bus to our hotel." She looked over the two DSM members sandwiching Beca critically, and the subtle, but pleased look on Beca's face. "Unless you two planned to abduct our captain right before worlds in some sort of plot to win."

Pieter shook his head. "No, we will win fair and square, though I can't say we won't kidnap the mouse after worlds."

Mina rolled her eyes at that but didn't say anything to object. At the after party things might get a bit crazy. Who knew what would happen. Except dancing would definitely happen. She needed Beca pressed up against her, swaying to the music again. It had been so intoxicating, but that was really all that was for sure.

"I still say we're going to kick your ass," Beca said from in-between them.

Pieter detached himself from Beca and bent over comically, almost to the ground. Again, everyone walking by stared and Mina thought at least people would have a story to tell from today.

"Is this low enough for you tiny mouse."

Beca's leg rose, her foot planted firmly on Pieter's ass, and she pushed hard. Pieter obviously hadn't been expecting the move because he toppled forward easily onto the tile floor below. Mina started snickering as soon as he flipped over and sat up, looking wholly indignant.

"Come on," Beca said, "you were totally asking for it."

"I was certainly not asking for that." But even as he tried to keep a serious face an indulgent smile was trying to break through.

"What did you expect me to do, just pass up that opportunity?" Beca was laughing now between her words.

"Yes. I know you like the booty but your foot was not what I expected to come in contact with it."

Both Mina and Beca snorted at the same time.

"Uh, guys, I hate to interrupt this ridiculously cute moment but the bus?" Chloe asked.

All three of them looked at each other for a second before Beca shoved her suitcase at Chloe with puppy dog eyes.

"Take this back to the hotel for me? I'll catch up with you guys later tonight if Amy hasn't managed to get into prison or something."

"Hey!" Amy shouted from down the way. "I'm waiting until tomorrow to go hog wild, thank you very much short stuff."

Beca looked at Chloe like that made her point even stronger.

"Alright." She grinned at Beca. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Chloe, that's not a lot."

The red head started walking away. "Did you ever think that maybe that was the point?" she laughed as she caught up with the rest of the Bellas and they all walked off, but not before Amy shouted "get some!" at the top of her lungs.

Mina just shook her head. No one could say that the Bellas weren't a lively group.

Beca looked back at them after letting out an exasperated sigh. "Anyway, hi guys. It's good to see you again."

Mina reached out and cupped Beca's face. "It is wonderful to see you as well." She traced her finger across Beca's cheekbone.

Beca's hand came to rest over her own. "Yeah. I may have gotten that by the rather enthusiastic greeting." She looked down at Pieter who still hadn't gotten himself off the ground.

He grinned up at them. "What, three months is a long time. Can you blame me for being excited?"

Mina offered her other hand to him and he pulled himself up with ease, but didn't let go. He laced their fingers together and Mina felt absolute peace standing between the two people she loved, acting as a conduit between the two.

"No, because honestly I might have been thinking about the same thing, except without the picking up part because I think you'd squish me." Beca shrugged.

Mina dropped her hand from Beca's face but found her hand as well. The other woman squeezed gently, not letting go or trying to get out of her grip.

"You are right, it would have been mouse pancakes." Pieter looked at Mina. "Well, with me, with Mona it might have been more like slightly softened mouse."

"Mmm oh my god pancakes." Beca's stomach growled loud enough to be heard in the middle of the busy airport. She blushed just a bit. "Uh sorry. The food on the plane was fucking disgusting and I barely ate before takeoff because I was herding Bellas."

Mina laughed and looked at Pieter with a raised eyebrow. He nodded. They had been to Copenhagen enough to know a few places off the beaten path. They could take Beca there, show her some of the real city and not just the tourist traps. She sighed and pulled Beca a bit closer, relishing that she could.

"Well, pancakes might be in short supply but coffee, bread, and potatoes are not."

"If it has carbs or caffeine I'm totally game. God, European bread. I can't even right now."

Pieter laughed. "The first place I went to when we got home was the bakery. I know how you feel."

Mina nodded confirmation of that fact. "He also then proceeded to eat an entire loaf of bread in the block between home and the bakery. I'm still not sure where he put it."

"Because of course you did not help at all," Pieter teased.

"Of course not. I had the iron will to wait until we were home. Now, if you are done fooling around, why don't we go get lunch, yes?"

"Fuck yes."

Mina smiled indulgently down at their mouse. She pulled both of them forward by their hands towards the door.

"A woman after my own heart, so enthusiastic for food."

She heard the sound of a light slap and grinned. Yes this, this was what she had been missing. How she was ever going to let it go after a week was beyond her, but somehow, someway, they would manage. And until then she would enjoy every single second.


	17. Chapter 17

Ok, so apparently I lied. I didn't write much over break. But oddly now that the semester's started I've started writing again. It's slow going, only about 500 words a day, sometimes less, but hey, it's going. And here's a new chapter. WOO.

* * *

The little hole in the wall restaurant that they ended up in reminded Mina a bit of the restaurant Beca had sent them to in Atlanta, and not just because it happened to be a place with global cuisine. There was just something about the atmosphere that felt the same. A woman approached them with a reserved smile and asked how many were in their party. Mina reposed easily in Danish and the woman nodded and took them to a table.

Beca looked around a bit in awe, taking everything in. Mina smiled at the cute expression. Being in a new country for the first time was always fascinating. Even the smallest things were new and different and so very interesting. She had traveled so much with DSM she had sort of lost the excitement, but maybe, if she traveled for herself and not for business, with her two idiots by her side she would rediscover that awe again.

They sat at their table, Beca across from the two of them. She picked up the menu and then immediately put it back down.

"OK, one of you is going to have to tell me what's good here because I can read German but definitely not Danish." She looked at Mina. "And knowing you speaking Danish and hearing you speak it are two different things and I didn't know how hot it would be oh my god."

That brought out a smirk on Mina's face. She glanced over at Pieter who grinned back at her. It seemed they had the same thing in mind.

"She's so very cute, the little mouse," Mina said in Danish.

"Yes, though now she's staring at us like she's not sure if she wants to kill us for teasing her or rip our clothes off." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I think it's a good look on her."

Mina snorted. "You think anything to do with ripping clothes off, even tangentially is a good thing."

"Well, yes, but in this case it's even better because it's the little mouse."

"Fair enough I suppose."

They both turned back to Beca.

"You guys are evil, you know that. Like way to be the German stereotype super villains making fun of the poor defenseless American who's been awake for like twenty-four hours straight."

Pieter switched to English and played up his accent. "Ve have vays of making you talk."

"Yeah, exactly like that sort of villain."

Mina turned towards Pieter. "You have called me a Bond villain before. Perhaps she does have a point."

"Fuck yes I have a point." She picked up her menu and handed it to Mina. "Now google translate this shit to me."

Mina's nose scrunched. "Google translate is a horrible service that is rarely accurate. I am always accurate."

"Yeah, yeah language snobs." But there was a smile pulling at Beca's lips. "But seriously, I'm getting hangry and food is needed so I don't turn into a bear."

Pieter snickered. "A mouse into a bear? Now that is something I would like to see."

"No, dude, it isn't. Trust me. You think this one is scary?" She pointed to Mina. "You haven't even seen the worst of it when I'm super starving. I'll bite your head, hands, and face off."

Mina and Pieter glanced at each other for half a second before laughing for a long moment. Beca crossed her arms in front of her and huffed. Mina reached out and pulled Beca's hand from in front of her onto the table and laced their fingers together. A second later Pieter's hand was on top of theirs and that feeling of peace that had first caught Mina's attention settled over her, more intense now than ever.

"I suppose then I should get cracking then, yes?" Mina slid the menu between them and read, translating to German easily until Beca picked a meal. They set their menus aside, still holding hands until a waiter showed up and took their order.

"It doesn't feel like you guys ever left," Beca said, taking a sip of her water. "It's weird since we're in a completely different country and everything, but that's how it feels."

"I know what you mean, mouse," Pieter said, smiling that warm smile that made every woman within a mile melt just a little bit. From the looks of it, Beca was no exception. Mina herself wasn't either except on her worst days.

"I think that's how it's supposed to be between people who are close," Mina said. "Besides it's not as if we were ever really apart since we spoke every day, even if it was only a few texts."

Beca nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. It'll be ten years from now and I'll fall in the Bellas like we never left. But with you guys it's even more." Her cheeks colored faintly. "Probably for obvious reasons, I don't know." She shrugged like it meant nothing at all, but Mina knew it meant everything.

Pieter picked up their joined hands from the table and kissed them lightly. "I think I do know."

Their waitress came a few moments later, breaking their little bubble for the moment and Mina couldn't quite decide whether she was grateful or slightly murderous. She took a deep breath and decided that she was grateful. There was no need to do all of this in one fell swoop. Now that they were in Copenhagen together they had time to figure out everything face to face without forcing it. There was no need for anyone to feel uncomfortable with everything that was changing between them. Their little mouse deserved more than that.

Mina picked up her cup of coffee and sipped at it, sighing into the cup. Good European coffee really couldn't be topped.

"So where did you guys rent out to practice?" Beca asked, practically slugging back the water that the waitress had set down beside their coffee. Mina frowned, the woman was going to have terrible jet lag if she was that thirsty.

"It's a small concert hall about ten minutes from the hotel we're staying at. One of Pieter's friends from school runs it now, and there's nothing going on at the hours we wanted to practice so he let us have the space for the week. Do you need a place or have you arranged one?"

"We've got one, the Worlds people found one for us, actually. Then the dude I was talking to said that we should make a good deal of use of the space and I think that was totally some asshole passive aggressive jibe, but I wasn't going to make a big deal out of it right after they'd just done a favor for us. We're just going to win and I'm going to find him and tell that dude to shove it."

Mina chuckled, watching Beca's face morph into a fierce expression that was too adorable for words.

"Well, you have to admit, the American team never has actually won a Worlds competition so perhaps his skepticism is slightly earned," Pieter said diplomatically.

"Right, that would mean that he hasn't seen the whole president's birthday debacle, and that's highly unlikely. The video on YouTube has like a hundred million hits." She massaged her temples. "It's been eight months guys, and we're still getting hate mail for that. And so many shaving kits oh my god. I mean plus side I haven't had to pay for razors all year, but still. Never going to live that one down."

"Not for a while, especially in the a cappella world." Mina saw no need to sugar coat the statement. It was true after all and Beca knew it. "But the world moves on at an incredibly quick pace and soon enough it will blow completely over."

"Until then a lifetime supply of razors is worth the weight in gold," Pieter chimed in. "I do not see why ladies razors are so much more. They are the same thing except in pastel colors."

"God, you and me both man." Beca took a long pull of her coffee. "It's bullshit."

Mina nodded along at that. The pink tax was an absolute atrocity, but she sense the subject was about to change back to the original subject.

"And as fucking snippy as the dude was, I sort of want to take his advice because that's not the fucking note I want the Bellas to go out on, you know?" She looked out the window to day outside. It had been nice and sunny now, but it looked as if the clouds were starting to gather for another rain storm. "Especially since I'm the captain and I've been torn in two different directions the entire year between the Bellas and the internship and if we lose then I know I'm going to over think everything and blame myself and tell myself that I didn't put enough effort in and you don't know how fucking much I don't want to do that."

Mina squeezed Beca's hand. "Oh, I think I have an idea. You and I are very alike in that manner."

"She takes DSM's every imperfection very personally. It's bad for her and yet she doesn't listen to me. What could the blockhead possibly know?" Pieter was grinning like he was joking, but Mina could see in his eyes that he was serious.

"Beca, no matter what happens on that stage, you will have done all that you can. You are human and cannot give a hundred percent of yourself to one thing. Life requires us to split ourselves between many things just to get by." She looked over at Pieter. "And despite what some may think, I do know this, and I think you do as well. But knowing, and being able to feel like the effort you can give without blowing yourself out is enough are two different things."

Beca sighed and looked back to them. "Yeah, yeah it really is." She shook her bangs out of her eyes and just sat silently for a few moments before speaking quietly again. "Thank you. You guys always seem to know what to say when I'm freaking out."

"And vice versa, mouse, more than you'll know," Mina said.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Mina shook her head once, eyes never leaving the other woman. "I'm not. I don't often lie about important things. Pieter knows a great deal of what to say to calm me down, and it always has worked before, but I can tell you right here and now that nothing works better to calm me down than whatever calming words he has to say and then just a normal conversation with you. Both are calming on their own, but together they are...there aren't any words for it, perfect comes close I suppose. The point of all of this, Beca, is that you should never sell yourself short for just doing what you can, because it is enough, for me, for the Bellas, for everyone who matters."

Pieter nodded, silently backing up everything that Mina had said.

Beca blinked furiously for a few seconds before looking down at their joined hands. "Alright, um...yeah, just ok." She scrubbed her free hand through her hair and looked all for the world like she'd forgotten how to speak in actual sentences she was so flustered. Mina understood it. She'd been like that before Pieter had brought so many positive words about her into her life, ones that had meant more than all the insincere platitudes that everyone had thrown her way her entire life. She still was flustered to a certain extent every single time, but nothing like she had been at first.

The waitress appeared and set their food down in front of them and let the moment end naturally. Beca was silent for a few minutes as she tried the food in front of her. She looked thoughtful before nodding and eating a few more bites. Mina watched it all with a fond smile on her face. Foreign food was always such a gamble, even in a place that offered seemingly familiar dishes. Beca had decided to be adventurous though and actually try one of the local dishes. She was glad to see that the other woman liked what was on her plate.

"So what do you think the odds are that the Bellas, or at least Amy have had at least one run in with the law at this point?"

Pieter snorted. "That woman is more trouble than a lit match and an open tank of gasoline."

"You're not wrong. In fact I think that might actually be an understatement." Beca shook her head. "Which is why Chloe and I totally planned a contingency for that situation. And while I hope we don't have to use it, well, you know."

"If it helps, DSM also has such a contingency plan," Pieter said. "We have a lawyer on retainer back in Germany who has a great many contacts in the countries we visit so that we will always have council no matter where we go."

"Yes, and do you know who's the only one who has had to use that service the entire time I've been in DSM?" Mina glared over at Pieter who had the gall to just smile serenely back at her like he had done nothing wrong.

"By the way you're glaring at him, I'm going to go with Pieter." Beca's smile was back, all traces of the earlier low mood and subsequent flustering gone for the moment, Mina was glad to see.

"Yes. It was him. We weren't even on tour, Pieter and I just decided to spend a long weekend off in France for fun. And do you know what this blockhead decided would be a wonderful idea?"

Beca just looked at Mina expectantly.

Mina puffed herself up and tried to look as ridiculous as possible while imitating Pieter's voice badly. "Oh, Mina, we should go skinny dipping, won't that be fun. We're in the mountains, no one is around it will be fun."

Pieter started to snicker loudly.

"Meanwhile he leads us to a lake that has a resort with cabins scattered along the shoreline and just starts to strip down, shouting the entire way. To this day I swear that he knew that the resort was there and was just being an idiot."

"What, it is not my fault those people did not appreciate getting a look at this." He gestured to himself wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'd appreciate getting a look at that." Beca immediately blushed and stammered out a few sounds that weren't really words at all before she managed to speak real words again. "I mean-I just-yeah, you know what, fuck it I meant that."

"Oh you can look any time you like."

Mina swallowed hard at the image that called up, Pieter naked as the day he was born and Beca standing there, drinking him in with hungry eyes. Eyes that eventually found her and darkened even further with lust. She almost felt the need to fan herself before she managed to actually snap herself out of the vision.

"Not until after we kick your ass at worlds. It'll be my reward." Beca cocked an eyebrow challengingly.

"That seems more like my reward than yours, tiny mouse."

"It's only your reward if I actually do more than look."

Pieter gasped theatrically and put his hand over his heart. "You would leave me hanging like that?"

"Maybe, depends on my mood." She popped a bit of food in her mouth like she hadn't a care in the world.

Pieter looked at Mina. "Are you sure you haven't been teaching her your evil ways?"

"We're both the Bond villains, remember. If I'm culpable then you are too."

"Touché."

They ate in amused silence for a few moments and Mina just smiled softly through it all. Home had always been a place for her, her apartment that she shared with Pieter back in Germany, before that her university apartment, and farther back her childhood home. But now, now she could see what people said when they said home wasn't a place, but a person, in her case people. Because here, in a country that wasn't her own in a city she had only been to a few handfuls of times, it felt like home sitting with her giraffe and mouse. Maybe this was what peace really felt like.

Their meal finished up nicely with Pieter and Beca fighting over which dessert they should all split and Mina just ordering for them all with a smirk at their outrage while the waitress walked away again.

"What? You two children weren't going to decide anytime soon. There are other things to do here besides eat, you know. We could potentially actually do some of them if I took some initiative."

And that had shut them right up. They ate their dessert, banter still flying, and then finally emerged back into the world.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Mina asked the other two as they stood under the restaurant's awning as rain pattered lightly around them.

Beca scuffed her feet on the concrete for a few seconds. "Um, the little mermaid statue is around here somewhere, right?"

"Yes, it's about fifteen minute walk from here, actually." Mina mentally plotted out a route from the restaurant to the boardwalk where the statue was located. Yes, fifteen minutes was about right. It would probably be shorter if she was actually from Copenhagen and knew the back ways and short cuts, but the way she knew was a few blocks or so.

"Can we go see that? The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie for years and year when I was little. I've sort of always wanted to see the statue since my Dad told me about it when I was like five."

"Of course." Pieter produced two umbrellas from his pants pockets and handed one to Mina. Mina would forever be bitter that men's pockets could hold a small child and Mina's could rarely even fit her phone properly. "Now you just have to choose which one of us you want to get cozy under the umbrella with." He popped his umbrella open and walked out into the drizzle.

Beca looked at Mina and shook her head. "Why do I get the feeling that if I share with him I'll somehow get wetter than just walking out in the rain?"

"Because you have good instincts. He likes to splash in puddles like he is a child. Which considering everything else he is a child so it shouldn't be surprising. He also has the habit of "accidentally" moving the umbrella so whoever is standing under it with him gets wet at random times."

"Mina," Pieter almost whined. "You can't give away all of my secrets."

Mina rolled her eyes and popped open her own umbrella and gestured for Beca to join her. Beca paused for a second before stepping beside Mina and wrapping her arm around Mina's waist. They fit together nicely, if a bit awkwardly because of the height difference. Still, it was perfect. They stepped together into the rain, strides hitting unevenly jostling them into each other but Mina just grinned down at Beca as they tried to find the right rhythm.

"Giving away your secrets would imply that you were actually able to keep any, Pieter," she finally said to him.

He huffed but didn't disagree. The man could be like a lock box for other people's secrets, but his own, well he was more like a glass case for those, completely see through and remarkably prone to breaking.

"Fine, fine, but just for that you are buying me a beer later."

"I think I can live with that." They smiled at each other fondly as they walked on in the damp streets of Copenhagen.

Yes. This was what peace felt like, Mina concluded as they turned a corner onto a new block, that much closer to their destination.


	18. Chapter 18

Surprise, bet you thought you'd seen the last of me for like a month.

* * *

"Gotta admit out of everything that we saw today the mermaid statue was actually the most anti-climactic," Beca said as they walked down the cobbled street towards their hotel as twilight finally descended on the city. "I thought it would be a lot bigger."

"It is still bigger than you," Pieter teased, mussing Beca's hair slightly.

Beca glared and fixed her hair with a huff. "You really do have to get some more material. You aren't going to keep your reputation as the comic relief if you can't come up with something other than short jokes."

"Maybe I keep making short jokes because I find it to be one of your many endearing qualities."

Beca blushed and shook her head. "Totally a cop out there, buddy. And don't just start making more mouse jokes because I've got you pegged on those too."

Mina smiled as they turned the corner to their hotel. She didn't want the day to end just yet, not after so long of a separation, but what else was there to do once they reached their hotel? It was getting rather late anyway and Beca had been up for an extremely long time, not that Mina would have known it outside of the fact that they had stopped for coffee every few hours at her request. Otherwise Beca had been active, wide eyed and bushy-tailed even, though it might have had something to do with the fact that she was in a new city in a new country. Or, perhaps, it might have been because she was with them. Mina thought the first option was more realistic, but she hoped the second was at least slightly true.

"How come you aren't after Mina for her unoriginal insults then? She only calls me blockhead."

Beca waved that off. "Because it fits and she's not trying to make a joke she's stating the truth."

Pieter staggered forward. "You wound me, milady."

Beca tilted her head. "Eh, little better."

"Really, if you live with him for a while, you figure out that he's rather unoriginal," Mina said.

"Such harsh critics today. Can't a tall German man get a break around here?"

"No," Beca and Mina said at the same time, then turned to grin at each other.

"Oh, what in the world have I gotten myself into with you two?" Pieter stepped forward and opened the door of the hotel for them, bowing and gesturing for them to go through first with a cheesy smile on his face.

Mina grabbed Beca's hand and interlaced her fingers, sighing loudly at Pieter's antics, but she couldn't keep a smile off her face. They walked into the lobby together and stood in front of the elevators, but none of them made a move to actually press the call button. It seemed she wasn't the only one that wanted the day to last just a little bit longer.

"So, um, did you guys get nicer rooms because you are the reigning champs?" Beca asked, fingers pulling at the edge of her sweater lightly.

"You could always come up and see for yourself and compare," Pieter said in such a soft voice that what would have been a come on otherwise was anything but. It was a gentle question, a quiet inquiry on just where Beca stood now after their day together. And it seemed like nothing had changed at all between them, but maybe, just maybe that was a sign of something more, something good.

Beca looked up at them with wide blue eyes, but she didn't hesitate in her answer. "Sure, I mean if I let you tell me about your room you'd say it was like something straight out of Harry Potter or some shit." It was a deflecting tease, to break the power of the moment, but Mina didn't think for a second any of them were fooled.

Pieter lit up. "Next time we are in Atlanta can we go to Harry Potter land?"

"Uh, you realize that's still like a six hour drive from Atlanta, right?"

Pieter waved it off. "Closer than it is to me normally. Six hours is nothing compared to a nine hour plane ride."

"That's like three hours difference," Beca deadpanned.

"Yes, but there are always crying children on airplanes and if not that the seats are cramped and customs is a nightmare. Six hours would be a car trip with good music and better company." He gave Beca his best puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

Beca cracked after about four seconds of trying to look disapproving. "Sure, fine, but the minute you make a joke about me being in Hufflepuff I will leave your ass in Orlando."

Pieter bounced on his feet and reached out and pressed the button for the elevators. "Who said I would do that?"

"Oh, I just have a feeling." Beca's expression dared him to say anything different.

"If it makes you feel any better the first thing he said to me once the subject of Harry Potter came up when we were younger was 'Slytherin' and then he looked at me and nodded and looked so pleased with himself."

"Well yeah, who wouldn't put you in Slytherin?"

They stepped into the elevator just after it dinged open and situated themselves in the middle of the car, Beca in the middle and Pieter and Mina on each side.

"I generally thought of myself as a Ravenclaw with slight Slytherin leanings."

Beca and Pieter looked at each other knowingly. "Totally a Slytherin," they both said and laughed and Mina just rolled her eyes. She punched the button to their floor and the elevator started to ascend.

Five floors later and they spilled out into the hotel hallway.

"Ok, well at least the hallway doesn't look nicer," Beca said, following behind Pieter as he dug through his wallet for the room key.

"I think hallways in hotels are supposed to be rather standard at hotels no matter how nice the rooms are," Mina responded.

"Dunno, the penthouse probably has a really nice ass hallway since it's the penthouse and all." Beca shrugged.

Pieter stopped outside their door and slipped the card into the lock. "Well, if you pretend rather hard, little mouse, then this could be the penthouse, but otherwise, DSM is not that rich. Successful and beautiful, of course, but a cappella doesn't quite pay as well as say being a rock star. Though maybe we will change that after our tour through America that was so thoughtfully provided by you."

Beca punched him in the arm. "Shut up. And I think you're going to have to play slightly larger venues than a senior center in Alabama to become the next rock sensation. Though I mean you do have the skills and everything at least."

Pieter turned to her and grinned widely. "Ah, so you finally are admitting that we are better than you?"

Beca just glared and didn't justify that with a response.

"Children, perhaps we might actually want to walk in the room at some point." Mina leaned against the wall beside the door, arching an eyebrow at the both of them.

"Uh, oh right. Totally what I came here to do, check out if your room was nicer. Right." Beca slipped under Pieter's arm and walked into the room.

Pieter turned to Mina and shot her a significant look. Oh, she knew what he was saying with that glance, that Beca was in a hotel room with them for the second time. That this time he wanted it to be a bit different than last time. That the fact she had come up here of her own free will meant something. That this relationship was finally going to be just that. Mina hoped all of those things too. It was an ache in her chest, but she wasn't allowing herself to feel it just yet.

She just nodded and headed into the room right behind Beca.

Beca was stopped at the end of the little hallway, looking over the room. It was small by American standards, but it was rather spacious by European. The room had a similar set up to the one they stayed in when they had visited Atlanta right after Beca's break up, there was a large king sized bed and a couch. The only difference now was there was a balcony that was high enough to look out over most of Copenhagen. The lights were starting to flicker on in the dusky light.

"You guys have a bigger bed and a couch, but that's about it. It's really the same otherwise," Beca said distantly. She walked over to the door that led to the balcony and slid it open. Cool air blew through the room as she stepped outside.

Mina followed her out, standing beside her looking out on a city that had more history than was really comprehensible. The history could be felt in the streets, seeping from bricks that had seen dynasties rise and fall. But there was something even more about standing above the city and looking out over all of it at once. An ancient heart beat beneath them that would keep pumping long after they were gone.

Pieter slipped onto Beca's other side, the three of them cramped on the small balcony, but they wouldn't be here if they minded sharing personal space. Mina could feel his eyes on them both and she knew the look he would be wearing, that adoring look that said he thought she and Beca hung the moon. She smiled and chuckled internally. No, she did not hang the moon, they did.

"I have to keep reminding myself that I'm in a foreign country," Beca said softly, the rain tinged wind blowing softly around them, playing gently with Beca's loose curls. "Like it's sort of obvious walking around because it's not like anywhere in the US looks like this and everyone is speaking Danish so it doesn't even sound like home either, but even with all that, I don't feel like I'm literally an ocean away from where I normally am."

Beca finally turned to look up at Mina, eyes clear and earnest. "Do you know what I mean?"

Of its own accord Mina's hand came to rest on Beca's cheek. "I do." It was hard to explain and yet it was the easiest thing in the world. There was some of it that was just the realities of travelling. You didn't feel as if anything was different because where ever you were was still a place where people existed and there was a connection there, however thin, that you just couldn't shake. But what was really gripping all of them was the fact that the people around them were eclipsing anything else. The situation they were in could be absorbed, but it needed to be processed and processed because they were mostly in their own little world that paid no mind to the outside.

Beca's eyes flicked down to Mina's lips and a thrill went through Mina. Was this really it? She didn't want to be the one to initiate. She still wanted Beca to be the one that decided that she was ready. That's what all of this had been about, really. But there was something to be said about a little suspense making the final outcome that much sweeter.

The other woman moved forward. Mina's hand moved with her as Beca closed the pacce between them, raising up on her tip toes, her own hands reaching for Mina. Mina felt her heart beating fast in her chest. The blood pounded in her ears and everything moved in slow motion.

She couldn't stop herself, she met Beca halfway, bending down so the small woman wouldn't have to strain herself to reach. Beca's lips were softer than she had ever imagined. She almost couldn't believe it. Something like this had to be a dream, but no, Beca's skin was under hers, the wind was still blowing around them, her feet still ached just a bit from walking all day. This was as real as it got.

And in this city of half a million, it felt like they were the only people. Her lips continued to move over Beca's, never wanting it to end because those feeling of completeness she had been getting, they were nothing to what was coursing through her now. She felt Pieter watching them, felt safe and warm and whole with the two of them like this. Who would want that to end?

But Beca pulled back, eyes still closed, blissful look on her face as she sighed. She blinked slowly and smiled at Mina, open and bright.

"Beca," Mina said, but she really didn't have anywhere that she was going with that. She had just needed to say the other woman's name.

Mina looked up at Pieter and saw the desire there and the happiness. It seemed that they had gotten what they had wanted. This was their fairytale and they had gotten the happy end without the evil witch coming after them. Who would have thought?

Beca turned around and looked up at Pieter and no words were needed. Pieter stepped forward and took Beca gently into his arms and kissed her. Watching the two people she loved most kiss, it did things to her that even kissing Beca herself hadn't. Mina felt as if she was on top of the world, screaming about how happy she was and the world was responding, reaffirming everything she was feeling. God above, so this was what love really was after all.

Beca and Pieter broke apart. They all stood frozen, not wanting to break the moment that just happened. A fairytale kiss in a fairytale city.

"So, uh yeah," Beca said, quietly, turning so she could look between the two of them. "I think I've figured out what I want." Her hands reached out for Mina and Pieter. "That is if you guys still want it too."

"Oh, little mouse," Mina said, "do you even have to ask? Yes." She looked up at Pieter who nodded once firmly. "Yes of course. This has been all we've wanted since the riff off."

"It has," Pieter agreed.

Beca sighed out a breath. "Ok. Ok, good."

The question what happens now, hung in the air, but Mina paid it no mind. They were past the tough part as far as she was concerned. They would figure it out just as they had figured out this relationship in the first place.

She raised Beca's hand up to her lips and pressed a light kiss to it. "Come, it really is late. We should get ready for bed."

The invitation to stay the night with them was in her words. Beca just nodded, accepting without saying anything. Mina pulled all three of them inside, soft smile on her face.

They got ready for bed side by side, working in that easy way that they had before. Mina tossed Beca a pair of pajamas while Pieter set the alarm for the next morning, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. Mina changed out in the open, but quickly. There was no real need to hide from these two people, but also she didn't want to pressure Beca into anything more than she was ready for.

She glanced up from folding her used outfit and stuffing it back into her bag to see Beca standing in the middle of the room, pj shorts on, but naked from the waist up. Mina swallowed, watching the muscles of Beca's back flex as she unfolded the shirt and slipped it on. She pulled her eyes away and shook herself just a little bit. Beca was a beautiful woman, but Mina had self-control. Or at least she did normally. Everything else was different with Beca, why not this?

Pieter came out from the bathroom again, shirt and pants off, with a smirk on his face. His boxers had tiny mice all over them. Of course he had had the foresight or luck to wear those today of all days. She knew the joke was coming before he even opened his mouth.

"Little mouse, it seems your compatriots have found their way onto my boxers."

Beca looked down and blushed but rolled her eyes. "Really, you're a grown man and you own mice boxers?"

He just nodded, smirk still on his face. "And giraffes and cats, if you would like to see those as well."

Beca laughed. "I'm sure I will."

And every time that Beca affirmed that she would be here in the future, Mina felt herself glowing more and more from the inside. The other woman just walked past Pieter and snapped the elastic of his underwear before continuing on to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Mina turned back the covers as Pieter slid into the other side. He stretched and Mina couldn't help but watch how his muscles flexed as well. She had picked two exceptionally fit people to enter a relationship with and she couldn't be happier. She smiled and walked to the bathroom just as Beca walked out.

Laying down beside Beca and Pieter felt even better than it had in Atlanta. This time they really did have a chance. This time they were in a relationship, as new as it was, it was something, and that was what mattered.

They all settled into a comfortable position, Beca between her and Pieter once more. Mina closed her eyes and relaxed. She would sleep well tonight.

"You guys know this doesn't mean I'm going to lose to you on purpose at Worlds, right?" Beca asked, words floating into the dark room.

Mina couldn't help it. She started to laugh and laugh until her sides hurt. It was just such an absurd thing to say in a situation like this, and yet it was totally them. She could practically feel Beca pouting beside her.

"Oh, Beca, I didn't for one think that. We're all far too competitive for our own good." She reached out and found Beca's face by touch alone. She kissed the other woman gently, thrilled that she could do this freely now, any time she wished. "But you have to practice hard tomorrow to make sure you have a shot," she said when she pulled back, long after Beca had relaxed under her touch. "And for that, sleep."

"Fine, but so long as you guys know that."

"Oh, my love, we do."

They all settled down again and Mina fell asleep easily with a smile big enough to hurt on her face.


	19. Chapter 19

*shows up nine months later with starbucks* Uh, hi. I have no excuses except this is who I am as a person. But this break I wanted to do a chapter a day, or at least try, on the stories I don't have done and this one is definitely the closest to being done overall. So here's this.

* * *

The whirlwind of getting ready for worlds grabbed them as soon as they had woken up the next day and hadn't let them go yet. That didn't mean they hadn't found time to be together every day, it just mean that usually the time they spent together ended shortly after it started with one of them falling asleep. Mina didn't begrudge that at all, cuddling had become one of her favorite pastimes.

And now here they were finally at Worlds.. Mina's heart was beating hard in her chest as it did before every competition. Her hands, though, were steady as she applied her eyeliner in a thick line. DSM was around her, getting ready, talking quietly, but there was an air of focus hanging over the dressing room. They were used to this, yes, but they were performers and this competition was the most important of their year.

Mina glanced over at Pieter, who had finished with his stage makeup and was just looking around contemplatively, making sure that everything was going smoothly. She reached out for his hand as she finished her own makeup. She looked over herself in the mirror one last time, nodding as she interlaced her fingers with Pieter's.

He looked over at her and smiled warmly and Mina's heart fluttered in her chest. They had been close before this, but this last week had brought them to a new level.

"Ready to kick some booty?" Pieter asked her, goofy grin appearing for a few moments before dissolving back into his more serious competition face.

"But of course," she replied even as the butterflies started to flutter harder in her stomach.

"Good, because ours are much too fabulous to be kicked."

Mina snorted and laughed quietly, remembering that first day at the airport. "I think the little mouse would disagree that we shouldn't have them kicked."

Pieter waved that off. "Yes, well, at least she thinks they're fabulous. It does make up for the kicking, I suppose."

"I think her booty is rather fabulous and that makes up for any kicking."

"Yes, that too." Pieter licked his lips absently, staring off into space for a moment before shaking himself and snapping back to attention.

Mina smirked to herself. "And you can't wait to get your hands on it."

"Well that goes without saying."

"Indeed it does."

Mina looked around the room and saw now hands moving now, no fixing hair, no applying makeup. They were ready. Good.

Someone knocked on the door. "Twenty minutes. The rehearsal room is open for you now."

Mina glanced at Pieter and nodded once before standing up and looking around the group.

"DSM!"

"Ja!" was shouted back at her as they stood as one and lined up with ease. They were a well-oiled machine and ready to go.

Mina led them into the rehearsal room and took them through a few warm ups for their voices. The scales sounded spot on, the son beginnings perfect. A few physical warm ups to limber them up and they were good to go. Mina liked what she was seeing and hearing all around. They would do well today.

She nodded as five until curtain was called. The butterflies were exploding now in her stomach like the party poppers some people favored at New Years, but she kept her face calm. She took a breath to try and calm them, but it didn't work. Pieter's eyes found hers though, blue eyes that looked like sky and held all the faith in the world in her and in DSM and the confidence that she had naturally that disappeared right before a performance came slamming back. She was more than ready now. She held Pieter's gaze for just a second longer, silently saying she loved him before turning and walking from the room.

She and Pieter lead their group out into the chaos that was backstage, strides confident, expressions cool and aloof. The crowd parted around them and Mina smirked. They were the reigning champions and everyone was treating them like they had already won again. She could get used to this, but she knew getting cocky would be their downfall. The title was in their grasp, but only if they put in the work for it when the spotlights lit up.

Mina saw the Bellas walking towards them and she immediately sought Beca out. Her eyes locked on the other woman in a second, in the middle of the group, talking to her teammates. She hadn't noticed DSM walking towards her yes. Mina looked over at Pieter to see a smirk on his face and it seemed they'd had the same thought: a little harmless teasing before going on wouldn't hurt.

"Ah, Bellas, so it seems you have managed to stay out of jail for various dingo related incidents," Mina said as she strode up to the group.

"Hey! That's stereotyping!" Amy exclaimed from the back.

Beca stepped forward, eyes sparkling, clearly ready to play the game. "Like we would do anything that would prevent us from kicking your gorgeous asses." A little color rose in her cheeks and Mina knew those cute insult-compliments weren't going away even if they were together now.

Mina bent forward so her face was level with Beca's. "Oh, you wish, little mouse, but if you would like to kiss said asses later, we would most assuredly enjoy that."

Beca stuttered a bit before managed to find words again. "Why would we do that? We don't want to kiss your sweaty loser asses, even if your sweat smells like cinnamon!"

"Oi, she's got it bad," Amy said quietly, well, quietly for her anyway.

"Oh, we'll see." Mina stepped back to Pieter's side.

"Lose nice, Bellas," Pieter said. "Drinks are on the loser tonight."

That perked Amy right up. "Now Kraut Boy's speaking my language. We'll kick your asses for free alcohol. We'll kick anyone's ass for free alcohol. Hell, we'll kick our own ass."

Mina watched as Lily snuck up behind Amy and clamped a hand over the other woman's mouth. Never a quiet moment with these ones, she supposed.

"Well, if you're going to do our work for us, we wouldn't complain." She cocked an eyebrow.

The stage hand came up to them again. "One minute."

"And now it really is time to blow minds." Pieter started walked towards the stage entrance, but not before laying a reassuring hand on Beca's shoulder and squeezing gently before continuing on.

Mina just offered a warm smile before she continued on herself. The rest of DSM gathered just off stage in their customary circle. They joined together, hands on shoulders and chanted "DSM Ja!" a few times before breaking apart. Mina's heart was beating hard in her chest and she felt alive. This feeling, this was why she performed.

The next second they were charging on stage and were in starting formation. The lights were off and Mina could actually see the screaming crowd, huge and roiling. They were all chanting as one, chanting for them, and god, if that wasn't what power was, Mina didn't know what was.

The lights came up and the crowd was lost in the glare and they were off, music welling around them. Mina kept an eye on everyone even as she performed her own part. Everyone was moving well and the pitch was on, the lyrics were crisp, and the bass beat loud enough to be felt in her chest. They were on their way to winning another world title.

The performance itself, lasted what seemed like a handful of seconds. But as she stood beside Pieter on the corner of the stage, chest heaving, as the lights finally dimmed on them, she felt more confident than ever. It was over, they had done well. It was all they could ask for, for now. Their performance had been taped so she could dissect any mistakes she hadn't caught on stage later, but for now she left the stage with a smile as they all filed off.

The Bellas were just off stage. Mina smirked at their shocked expressions. She waved at them, continuing to walk with her team. They would catch up with Beca later after the Bellas had performed.

The dressing room after a performance was always a bit of a relief and a bit of a disappointment. The high was at an end, but also a body couldn't exist at such a state for an extended period of time. It was satisfying to relax after a good performance.

She sat down at her station and grabbed her bottle of water and took a large drink. Pieter flopped beside her in his own seat dramatically and sighed.

"And now we wait."

Mina hummed and slumped on his shoulder. "And so we do."

"I hate this part the most."

"I think everyone does." She nestled more into his shoulder. There was a chorus of agreements from people who were nearby and heard their conversation.

"How many acts before they Bellas go on?" Pieter asked.

"I believe there were five between us and them, though you would have to check the program to be sure." She dug around in the packet that the organizers had given her until she finally pulled out the pamphlet that she wanted. Mina flipped it open and traced down the list of performers until she saw their group and then counted down to the Bellas. "Yes, five. If everyone took their allotted five minutes we still have about twenty minutes before they perform. Would you like to watch the mouse?"

"Of course, we must check out the competition." He kissed the crown of her head. "And of course we must be there to support our mouse."

Mina nodded. She had thought about watching the Bellas as well once they had come down from the performance high. She was still in that slumping state, though, not quite as relaxed as she should be and so hadn't suggested it yet.

She pushed off of Pieter and set about packing everything up. Putting things in order would give the adrenaline time to fully wear off and it would make sure she could just grab her stuff and go after the awards. Mina was sure that the after party that the organizers had planned would be wonderful as always. Then again any place with free alcohol was a wonderful place. But she would get to dance with Beca again, and this time it would be even better because they were truly together. All of them were.

Pieter beside her, did the same, and in a few minutes they were all packed up and ready to go. The rest of DSM was following their lead, albeit more slowly. They didn't have anywhere to be until awards and now was a time to relax for them.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Mina was standing offstage, looking out at the Bellas filing out on stage quietly. She spotted Beca easily considering she was the shortest of all of them. All of them look serious and ready to go in the darkness and it was the first time that Mina really understood that this meant a lot to them. They had hidden the weight of it under banter and jokes, leaving it to Chloe to stress for them, but they had all done the work to get here. They all knew what this meant.

Mina frowned at the group. She had taken them seriously before, but never had actually thought of them as true competitors. To her they were a group that did this for fun, and while there was nothing wrong with that, that was different level from the commitment of DSM. The group before her wasn't changed, but the façade had dropped away. Adorable train wrecks they might be, but sometimes the best performers were controlled disasters because what was art but a controlled descent into madness?

Beca looked over at the stage manager to signal that they were ready and spotted Mina and Pieter watching. She waved quickly, a smile gracing her face for a second, before continuing on. The stage manager nodded and brought the lights up on the Bellas and they were off.

Mina watched them, critiquing everything they did. The hand clapping choreography was interesting, she would give them that, but perhaps went on a bit too long to completely hold interest. She smiled at the choice of song, though, when they started to sing. How appropriate, girls running the world. They were going, no holds barred, which was just how Mina liked her competition.

But though the set was good, it wasn't something that was exactly mind blowing. She estimated that it would net them second or third because it was very good and executed perfectly, it was just missing that certain something that would push it over the top. Mina bit the inside of her lip, feeling her stomach bottom out. She didn't want to lose, god no, but their mouse would be upset and no matter what she didn't want that. This, she supposed, was the literal meaning of a catch-22.

Then the lights came up fully and she saw thirty-some women ranging age from a few years older than the current Bellas to grandmothers dressed in Bella uniforms and the song swelled around them. Mina took in a breath and reached for Pieter's hand. Ah, so there was their certain something. The Bellas couldn't compete with the rigorous perfection of DSM, but they could top them in emotional connection. They had played to their strengths. Mina admired the move greatly.

And now. Now they were back in the running for first provided the judges favored emotional connection over absolute perfection. Depending on their view of music, well, it was a definite toss up now.

The spot light shut off on the youngest Bella and Pieter turned to her. "Well, they made it interesting, yes?"

Mina nodded. "That they did."

The Bellas filed off stage and right past Mina and Pieter. Beca of course went right to them and smiled giddily, still in the midst of her performance high.

"Well then, did we kick your ass?"

Mina reached out and cupped Beca's cheek. "Oh, we'll see for sure later, but you have a chance, I think."

"Damn right we do."

Mina laughed and dropped her hand, kissing the place it had just been gently. "If you win you'll never stop going on about beating us, will you?"

"Nope."

"I didn't think so." Mina turned to Pieter. "You're going to have to come up with some good comebacks for us, then."

Pieter grinned. "I am the comeback King."

"We'll see about that, buddy boy." Beca stepped forward and hugged him for a long moment. "Thanks for watching us. It was nice knowing you guys were there."

"Of course, little mouse, we wouldn't have missed it for the world." Pieter dropped a kiss on Beca's head.

"Oi, short stack!" Fat Amy called from further backstage. "Are you gonna come take a shot with us or what?"

Mina snorted. "Go, celebrate with your friends. We'll see you at the awards ceremony."

Beca stepped back from Pieter's embrace. "Probably a good idea. I need to keep Amy from downing the whole bottle of raspberry vodka." She rolled her eyes. "And is this where I say lose nice because I think it is."

Pieter laughed and Mina joined in a second later. "I think it might be."

"Good, see you losers." Beca stuck out her tongue before turning and following after her friends.

Mina turned to Pieter. "Oh, no matter if we win or lose, we're in trouble with that one."

Pieter smiled indulgently at her. "You wouldn't have it any other way."

Mina looked after Beca, watching as she joined her friend group and Amy pulled a truly enormous bottle of vodka from her bag. She shook her head.

"No, no I wouldn't."

* * *

DSM filed out onto the awards stage along with all the other groups. It was bit of a tight fit with all of them on there while leaving room for the award area, but it worked. The Bellas were on the other side of the stage from them, all huddled together like personal space wasn't an issue. Mina was used to sharing her space with her teammates, but that seemed like a level she'd never get to. Unless it was with Pieter who was actually pressed into her side, but he really didn't count considering.

The crowd in front of the stage was restless and roiling, wanting the show to get on the road. The judges had been deliberating for a long while, longer than normal really. Mina didn't quite know what that meant other than it had been a close competition for one of the awards and that it was most likely the Bellas that were at the center of the controversy.

"Alright then, thank you for your patience," the announcer started and the crowd quieted immediately.

The butterflies in Mina's stomach kicked up a notch. She could wait for the judges to deliberate with only mild nerves and no real problem. For her the worst part was standing up on stage when the places had been set but weren't known. That count up from the bottom to the top that left you with more and more hope that you were in first with every place that was called that could come crashing down at the end in a spectacular manner when your name wasn't called, that was the worst. Pieter squeezed her to him, knowing all this, and knowing just how to settle her, at least somewhat.

"Now without further ado we'll start with eighth place."

Mina tuned out the first four places. DSM wouldn't be that low in the rankings, and she knew the Bellas wouldn't be either unless there was some sort of blind judge in the mix. She thought of the free weekend in Copenhagen they had before flying back and just what she wanted to do in that time. Perhaps a real date with Beca. Yes, that would be wonderful.

"And in fourth place," the announcer said with a dramatic pause, "is the team from Canada."

Mina tuned back in and saw the group of five shoot forward and take the trophy with smiles before shuffling to the side with the other teams who had placed.

"In third, the team from France."

Dear lord they were going to be insufferable the next four years now that they'd won third. Mina groaned quietly and shifted to press her face into Pieter's chest.

"I know, I'll make sure no one answer's Manuel's phone calls for the next few months," Pieter whispered into her hair.

"Thank you."

"In second, by the slimmest margin that this competition has ever seen."

The crowd held its breath. Mina's heart stopped in her chest. This was it.

"Das Sound Machine."

Mina blinked. And then blinked again. Well then. She moved forward in a bit of a daze and took the trophy from the announcer with Pieter at her side. They moved to the side as expected as Mina's heart started again in her chest and then went straight into double time. She was absolutely sure that them getting second meant that the Bellas had done it, but she couldn't be sure until they called out the results. This wasn't acceptable, second, but damn if she was going to lose to anyone other than the mouse.

"And in first, for the first time here at worlds…the American team, the Barden Bellas!"

Mina let out a breath and relaxed for the first time in hours. Thank god.

She turned to Pieter and smiled. Oh sponsors would moan and complain and a few would drop them, but they would be fine overall. They had never been in danger, unlike the Bellas ad there was something that soothed the sting of losing that had nothing to do with Beca being on the team. It was probably something to do with underdogs come from behind, but she wasn't going to think on it much.

They turned to DSM as one. Mina crossed her arms over her chest and glared her best. Pieter followed her lead and looked menacing.

"We will meet on Monday to go over every single mistake we made to end us up here. We will not leave until we are perfect. It will be long, hard, and grueling. Think of it as your punishment if you will. Until then, there is an after party to attend. Represent DSM with honor, but drink your fill and have fun. The rest of the weekend is yours to do whatever you wish as well. Do not spend it beating yourselves up. I will do that Monday. So use the time to rest and have a good time." She waved them off with a flick of her fingers and turned back to the Bellas.

Mina hesitated for just one second before she was striding forward. Beca glanced their way and smiled. Mina smiled back even as the other Bellas noticed her and Pieter walking over and stared, unsure of what was about to happen.

"Little mouse, it seems that congratulations are in order." She was trying for cool and aloof, her normal public persona seeing as they were still on stage, but she couldn't manage it when she reached Beca's side. She scooped up the smaller woman and spun her around a couple of times.

Beca shrieked and screamed, "Put me down damn it!" But any bite in the words was ruined by the laughs that erupted between words.

Mina finally set Beca down only for Pieter to scoop her up again. She couldn't help the radiatnt smile and the happiness that suffused her being. Before if DSM lost she would be cranky for taking, taking it very personally. Now she couldn't if she tried. She was just happy watching the two people she loved romping around the stage. Maybe that meant she should retire, because she wasn't on top of her game, but maybe certain allowances had to be made for those in love.

Pieter finally set Beca down. "So what consolation prize do the losers get?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Who said you get anything. Besides to pay for our drinks tonight." Beca cocked an eyebrow as the rest of the Bellas echoed the sentiment shouting "yeah" or something similar.

"Well it would ease the sting of losing and the long cold night ahead thinking of how inferior we are." Pieter put his hand against his forehead like some fainting damsel in an old movie.

"Uh huh," Beca deadpanned, but she stepped forward and stood on her tip toes. "Get down here drama queen."

Pieter bent as requested and Beca pecked him on the cheek. Mina thought she could hear murmured promises of more later, and from the way Pieter's eyes darkened in response Mina thought her hearing had been right even as the crowd continued to cheer, a little louder now that Beca had kissed Pieter.

"Now that definitely takes the sting out of losing," Pieter said, standing straight again.

"Oh, I'm sure it does," Mina said cocking an eyebrow. Not that she wasn't looking forward to just what exactly had given Pieter that hungry look, but she wouldn't be herself if there was no teasing.

Beca opened her mouth to speak but Fat Amy interrupted her. "Alright Krauts! I was promised free booze and I'm damn well going to get it."

Pieter looked over at Fat Amy. "I think you've already started without the rest of us, Chubby Ally."

"Damn right I did. There's nothing better to do while waiting at these things."

Mina did have to give her that point at least.

"You do realize the party doesn't start for another two hours, right?" Pieter asked.

"I don't know about you, but I wasn't planning to show up to a party in this." She gestured to herself. "This isn't party gear, I'm not even showing off any of the goods."

Mina looked at Beca, holding back a laugh. Beca just shrugged as if to say 'this isn't even the worst she can get. You know.' And she did know from all the stories that Beca had told her over the past year.

Amy shoved Beca forward. "Keep an eye of these two so they don't welch on our bet, short stuff." She looked at Beca. "It wasn't like you were about to keep your eyes off them anyway."

"Chloe." Beca didn't even need to say anything more before Cynthia Rose was stepping out of the group of Bellas and grabbing Amy by the arm.

"Girl, how many shots did you have already?"

"Dunno, like five, why?"

The Bellas all groaned collectively.

"It's going to be one of those nights, isn't it?" Emily asked.

"Looks like it," Beca answered.

Chloe stepped forward. "But seriously, Beca, if you want to go with them, that's cool. We can all meet up at the party later."

Beca looked between her friends and Pieter and Mina for a couple long seconds, torn.

"Nah, I can meet up with them at the party later. You guys, we just fucking won worlds. You've got to be crazy if you think I'm not going to celebrate with you." But Beca glanced back to see their reaction, biting her lip, still a bit unsure.

"Of course we'll find you at the party," Mina said.

"We do have drinks to pay for," Pieter continued. "DSM doesn't welch on its bets." He stuck out his tongue at Amy.

Mina rolled her eyes for what felt like the billionth time in her life. Such an overgrown child. She hip checked him.

"Besides, we also have to get ready for the after party." Mina had the dress she hadn't chosen to wear months ago in Atlanta lined up for tonight. Daring was the order of the night, most definitely. Especially if Beca had promised Pieter more later. She was going to be more than ready for it.

"Cool, cool." Beca looked a bit relieved. Mina had to wonder if Jesse ever made her choose between her friends and him. Probably considering some of his behavior at the Riff Off, even if Beca said he just got that way when drunk. They would never be like that. At least she hoped and would try her best.

Mina reached out and squeezed Beca's shoulder. "Have a nice time celebrating, mouse, you deserve it." She leaned forward to whisper. "And I look forward to the absolutely gobsmacked look you'll have on your face when you see me in the dress I'm wearing tonight. Though, perhaps, that won't be as good as if you choose to take it off of me later." She pulled back with an absolutely wicked grin on her face. "See you later, mouse."

She turned and grabbed Pieter's hand before walking off the stage, absolutely looking forward to later that night.


End file.
